


When all is lost

by LightningCard



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's
Genre: F/M, Family, Growing Up, What-If
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-10
Updated: 2020-03-31
Packaged: 2021-02-27 14:08:07
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 22,665
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22198342
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LightningCard/pseuds/LightningCard
Summary: Hakase survived the Zero Reverse accident and lost his two light in the world, his wife and his daughter. At least that’s what he believes. While he lives on in New-Domino, there is a special someone who also survived the accident and she doesn’t know what adventure awaits her.Fem-Yusei story
Comments: 8
Kudos: 12





	1. From love into three we have grown

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everybody! Welcome to my first story in like... years. 6 I believe. So just so you know, I might be a bit rusty.  
> I recently started re-watching this series and got the inspiration from certain other stories and songs. A couple of things I would like to point out:  
> 1\. Yes Yusei is female, idk why I just liked it better that way;  
> 2\. Yusei is also the youngest of team Satisfaction, originally Crow is the youngest, than Yusei etc. I decided to change that for my story;  
> 3\. The songs used in this story are actually from Frozen 2 (which is a pretty good movie, go watch it if you haven't yet). It will follow characteristics of the movie, but won't be based on it;  
> 4\. Songs are sung throughout the movie, however if you feel like it would be better in the style of someone singing in their heads, feel free to do so;  
> 5\. I use the Japanese versions of the names, just in case there is any confusion. However I do use New Domino City instead of Neo, cause Neo sounds a little weird to me.  
> I think I've rambled on long enough, so please start reading!

Chapter 1  
  
He was late. As he looked at his watch he rushed inside the hospital. He couldn’t believe that this happened. ‘That stupid board meeting could have waited one day.’ He scolded himself. As soon as he walked in he saw the two people he considered as his brothers.

“Rex, Rudger! Are they alright, did Ikara make it? Did the baby make it? Why aren’t you with her now? Man I need a cup of coffee...” He rambled on. Suddenly he felt a smack on the back of his head. Rex looked at him apologetically.

“Sorry Hakase, but that was necessary. Calm down, they are both fine. That little tyke was a screamer at first, but calmed down when Ikara held them. We aren’t there now because she requested some privacy, to bond with the baby.” Rex explained calmly. He grabbed his friend by the shoulder and started leading him towards the elevator.

“Rudger, could you go get him a cup of coffee? Remember, just a little cream in there. I will go take him to meet his kid, it’s about time for that.” Rudger just gave a smile and started walking towards the food court area.

* * *

Hakase was numb as he stood in the elevator, Rex guiding the way as soon as they arrived at the correct floor. Rex led him past the nurses’ station, which was situated right in the middle of the waiting room. He led him down the hall towards the left, stopping in front of the door that had a small name card on it. ‘3.65 - Ikara Fudou’. Hakase took a big breath, glancing to Rex one more time. Rex gave him a reassuring look and gestured for him to go in as he took a seat outside the room. Hakase turned to the door and placed his hand on the handle. After collecting himself for a second he pushed the door open.  
The lights inside the room were slightly dimmed, only the light from the outside lighting the room. There he saw her laying there. Hair dishevelled, a bit of sweat still on her face, but eyes shining brighter than ever before as she looked at the little bundle in her arms. Maybe even brighter than on their wedding day... He shook his head and started to slowly approach her. As she looked up, he expected there to be anger in her eyes, anger for not being there during the birth, for missing it. But all she could do is smile with tears in her eyes as she beckoned him closer.

“Come dear, it’s time you meet your daughter.” She said softly, as to not wake the sleeping babe in her arms. His heart soared with delight.

“D-daughter?” He repeated, a little shocked. Ikara and himself decided to not have the doctor tell them the gender of their baby during the pregnancy, wanting it to be a surprise. However, while he always felt it would be a boy, Ikara said from the start it would be a little girl. Guess you should trust your wife when it comes to these situations huh?

He slowly walked the remaining distance to the bed, leaning over his wife to look at the baby, his daughter. A very small tuff of black her graced her head, tanned skin standing out to him immediately. Slowly his fingers touched her little red cheek, stroking it.

“Would you like to hold her?” Ikara offered, seeing the tears in his eyes as he looked at his child. He nodded numbly. Slowly he sat down in the chair while Ikara gently placed the baby in his arms. After shortly instructing him how to support her head, she leaned back, looking at her husband who looked at the baby like she was the most beautiful thing in the world.  
Well, in their eyes she is the most beautiful and precious thing in the world. She was a miracle child after all. When Ikara was told there was a possibility she wouldn’t be able to get pregnant, both of them were shocked and disappointed. They didn’t give up though, and now the young couple were here with their daughter. When she says young, she means young. She was only 20 while Hakase was 21, they married when she just turned 18 and Hakase was 19. As she looked at her husband she yawned. The birth had taken quite long, and now she was feeling the tiredness creep up on her. Slowly she closed her eyes, knowing that her daughter was safe with her father. 

Hakase looked up just as his wife fell asleep. He smiled gently, she deserved all the rest she needed. Slowly he stood up with the baby, mumbling little nothings to her, rocking her very gently. A very soft knock came from the door. Hakase very carefully walked over to the door, holding his daughter securely as he opened the door. He smiled at Rex and Rudger, who stood on the other side. Their eyes positively glowing as they saw the little babe nestled in her father’s arms. Hakase invited them in after asking them to keep quiet, since both the baby and Ikara were sleeping. The two brothers sat down in the available chairs, while Hakase still swayed gently.

After about 10 minutes, the baby started scrunching her nose. Hakase could do nothing else but stare. Slowly the baby opened her eyes, revealing blue eyes. Not like his steel blue ones, but deeper. Almost like a ... royal blue? That was the closest colour he could associate them with. As the baby stared at him, he expected her to start crying. He was technically still a stranger to her, even though he has been talking to her through Ikara’s belly ever since they found out she was pregnant. The baby however, did nothing. Just staring up at him, as if assessing him. He smiled gently to her.

“Hello little one. Welcome to the world.” He whispered. All she did was stare. Hakase turned as he heard movement from the bed. He walked over to his wife, kissing her head as she smiled up at him. He gently sat down on the edge of the bed, just enjoying this moment together with his wife as they both stared at their little wonder.

“She looks just like you.” Ikara whispered as she stroked the baby’s cheek. Hakase hummed, realising that she was right. While her eye colour was different from both her parents, it more closely resembled his colour. Besides the eye colour she also inherited his tanned skin colour and dark hair colour. Time would reveal if it stayed black though. But as he looked into her eyes, he saw so much of his wife. A gentle look, while still fierce.

Suddenly he remembered that they were not the only ones in the room. He looked up towards the brothers, who were smiling fondly at them. He turned to Ikara, his eyes asking her permission. She smiled at him and nodded. Slowly he stood up, walking towards the brothers with his child his arms.

“Thank you both for being here for her when I couldn’t be.” He said softly to them. They both just smiled. Hakase smiled back and walked towards Rex. Rex suddenly got a very nervous look on his face as Hakase offered the baby to him. He took the baby, stiff as a board. The child squirmed a bit, trying to get used to this new human.

“Hakase I don’t think this is a good idea...” He muttered, terrified of hurting the baby. “Just relax Rex. Being all stiff isn’t going to make it easier not to drop her. Just stay seated and you will be fine.” Hakase offered as advise, even though he barely knew what he was doing either. Rex took a deep breath and once again turned his face towards the baby. The look in her eyes just melted him. He smiled softly at the child. He turned towards his brother and offered her to him. Just as Rex, Rudger looked very unsure, but relaxed soon after, stroking the baby’s head.

Ikara, now fully awake, sat up in her bed and just looked at the trio. ‘Who know those two could be so gentle with a small babe,’ she thought while smiling. Hakase turned towards her and kissed her on the lips. She kissed back and smiled. 'Now to think of a name...' She thought as Hakase took back the child he decided to reveal the surprise to the brothers.

“Rex, Rudger. Thanks to you Ikara and I met. Thanks to you we got married. Thanks to you we now have this little wonder in our world. As a token of our appreciation, Ikara and I would like to offer you both the position of god fathers for our daughter.” Hakase said. The brothers looked shocked. They would never have expected this. They slowly looked from Hakase’s face to Ikara’s, who smiled gently and nodded.  
“Ikara, Hakase, thank you. We gladly accept this title, however unexpected it might be.” Rudger said softly, tears shining in both their eyes. Hakase offered the baby back to her mother, embracing the brothers who have been there for most of his life.

The baby yawned, decided she’d had enough for now. As Ikara gently rocked her to sleep, she turned to her husband.  
“Now we need to decide on a name.” She said softly. Hakase’s smile fell slightly. Because they wanted to keep the gender a secret, they hadn’t decided on a name yet. They had thought of baby names, but none of them seemed to fit. Suddenly an idea came to mind.  
“Dear... what about Yusei?” He asked, preparing himself for the backlash.  
“Yusei?” His wife asked uncertainly. “I don’t know dear, I don’t people to make fun of her name.”  
“They won’t. She will be named after the Yūsei Ryūshi, the planetary particles of the Momentum. She will be the one who connects with people through bonds.” He explained.  
Slowly Ikara’s face turned into a bright smile. She turned to the baby in her arms.  
“Yusei... Yusei Fudou.” She said softly, kissing her daughter’s head. It just seemed to fit. Hakase’s face broke into a smile as well. He finally took a sip of his now cold coffee, having completely forgotten about it.  
“Welcome to the world, little Yusei Fudou.” All of the adults laughed softly as Yusei yawned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Phew, that was the first chapter. What do you think? I'd like to know! Again as I said before, I haven't written in years, so feel free to leave behind any tips!  
> I cannot promise an update schedule. My life is very hectic, especially since I am in college, have a job and still need a social life as well. However, I do have the next 5 chapters planned out, I just need to write them!  
> I hope everybody has a very nice day and again, I try to update it once again soon, maybe today or tomorrow. I am sick at home anyway without anything to do (other than study).


	2. The time has flown

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So ehm hi! I know I said in the previous chapter that my upload schedule might be irregular, but I also said that I had the next few chapters already planned out! So the inspiration just kind of hit me and I finished this chapter quite quickly. I decided to just go ahead and post it because why not. I hope you enjoy!

_Chapter 2  
_  
He groaned as he swept his hand through his jet-black hair. Arching backwards in his chair he felt his spine pop in a few places. ‘These last few months have been stressful,’ Hakase thought, ‘not only learning how to take care of a new-born, but also the project.’  
Recently, the board started pushing him more to get the Momentum finished as soon as possible. ‘They don’t understand the risks that come with it…’ He sighed. Just as he was about to get back to work, he heard a cry through the little baby phone on his desk. Hakase smiled.

“Guess it’s time to take a break.” He closed the laptop after saving all of his files. Slowly he stood up, cringing as his knees popped. After closing the door to his home office, he walked down the hall. He heard the cries slowly getting louder. He sighed.  
‘Must be hungry.’ He thought as he slowly opened the door. He walked into the nursery, silver painted walls with hints of purple and white furniture decorating the room. After all, they didn’t know what gender the baby was when they designed it.

He leaned over the crib, immediately silencing the baby laying there. With tears in her eyes, little arms reached for her dad.  
“Good afternoon little one.” Hakase said gently as he picked her up. He couldn’t believe how much she had grown in the last 4 months. In his mind he wanted her to stay little forever, but he knows that is not realistic.

“Are you hungry?” He said, grinning down at her as he walked towards the kitchen. He really appreciated the fact that Ikara and himself preferred an open condo design, therefore there are no stairs to walk down with this little babe. Yusei laughed as her dad tickled her sides, holding his fingers after he was done.

Seeing as Ikara was out with a couple of friends he had to heat up one of the bottles they had set aside in the fridge. As he waited for the bottle warmer to warm up the milk he decided to sit down on the couch. Slowly he placed Yusei, on her back, on a thick blanket with a bunch of her toys. At this stage she loved chewing on everything, even though no teeth were coming through yet.

He sat back, sighing. The first few weeks hadn’t been easy. While he was used to short nights, he hadn’t expected the amount of energy it takes to take care of a baby. Luckily, Yusei was a very calm baby, only ever really crying if she was hungry, wanted attention or if her diaper had to be changed. However, the very early wake up calls that were around 2 hours apart each night were starting to get to him back then. He couldn’t imagine how it was for Ikara, who took most of the night shifts so he could sleep, as well as feeding Yusei herself. He was very grateful for such an amazing wife.

He tries to work from home as much as he can, so he can help Ikara during the day if she needs it. The board had at least understood that in those first few weeks he wanted to be there. Now however, they were pushing him harder than ever, seeing as he had a ‘break’ as they called it.  
‘Break huh?’ He scoffed, ‘let them try to take care of a new-born while combining it with work.’

The bottle warmer gave a short beep, alerting him that the machine was done with its warming program. Taking one more look at his daughter, assuring himself that she would be fine for 30 seconds while he went and grabbed the bottle, he stood up and briskly walked towards the kitchen. After testing the milk on his hand, ensuring it wasn’t too hot for Yusei to drink, he walked back towards the living room. There he almost dropped the bottle.

‘I could have sworn I had laid her down on her back.’ He thought as he stared at his daughter, who was laying on her belly while chewing on one of her toys. As soon as she noticed his presence though, she turned back on her back, reaching for him. Hakase just stood there gaping. His daughter just rolled from her back to her stomach and then back again.

Slowly a smile broke out. This meant she was getting more aware of her body and starting to become more mobile. He picked her up, swaying with her as she smiled up at him. His precious little girl…

Sitting down he offered her the bottle. She immediately latched onto the nipple, sucking hungrily. After she finished the bottle, Hakase burped her. Luckily nothing came back up. He remembered the one time he forgot to put a towel on his shoulder while burping her. Let’s just say the smell didn’t come out of his clothes even after washing it 3 times.

He yawned as she yawned. His day was very tiresome, waking up early to get a head start on his work so he would have enough time for Yusei when his wife went out. Phone calls can really take a lot of energy out of you, especially if they are calls about him having to hurry up and finish a dangerous project. He stood as Yusei fell asleep. He turned towards the clock.  
“3 o’clock,” he mumbled, “maybe it would be a good time to take a nap.”  
Instead of taking Yusei back to the nursery, he took her to his own room. As he gently laid her down, he pulled up the ledges he had installed on the bed, to ensure she wouldn’t be able to fall off in anyway if she were to move in her sleep. Gently he laid down next to her.  
‘Just a few minutes.’ He thought as he drifted off.

* * *

Saying goodbye to her friends before entering the building, Ikara sighed. She had thoroughly enjoyed her day with her friends. First, they decided to have lunch at a new café and after that they went on a shopping spree. While she mostly bought things for herself, she couldn’t resist getting a cute little t-shirt of Yusei, a dark blue one with silver stars. That doesn’t mean such a day is any less tiresome though.  
Getting out of the elevator she dug around for her keys in her purse. After finding them and unlocking the doors, she noticed something peculiar. All of the lights were off and no sounds were heard.  
“Hakase?” She said, not too loudly, but loud enough for him to hear if he were in the condo. She turned towards the clock. ‘Hmm, it’s only 6 o’clock, where could he be?’ Usually he would be in his office, but that room was dark as well. Quickly, she took a look inside the nursery, noticing Yusei wasn’t in her crib. However, the stroller was still in the hallway.  
She turned towards the master bedroom door.  
‘I wonder…’ She thought as she gently opened the door.

A small night lamp was turned on, giving a faint glow through the room. As Ikara approached the bed she smiled. In the bed lay her daughter and husband, sound asleep. Yusei tucked into the crook of her father’s arm, sucking on her pacifier, Hakase having turned on his side so her face was against his chest. Not wanting to disturb one of the cutest scenes ever, Ikara slowly backed away. Before she left the room though, she quickly, but quietly, walked back towards the bed and snapping a picture with her phone of the scene. She smiled as she closed the door.  
‘Guess it’s time to make dinner I guess.’ She thought as she turned towards the kitchen, waiting for her husband to wake up to the smell of food. 

* * *

Hakase groaned as he opened the door to the condo. ‘This day has been one of the hardest yet,’ he thought, ‘stupid board.’ Just as the previous few months, they have been pushing him to finish the Momentum, even threatening to cut the budget for the project. Luckily Rudger had been there, assuring the board they were going as fast as they can while still thinking of the safety of everybody involved. This pacified the board for now, but he knows it won’t be for long.  
He looked around for Ikara, not finding her in the living room or in the kitchen. There is only one other place she would be than aside their bedroom. Slowly he walked towards the nursery. As he got closer, he heard her voice, humming gently. The door was cracked open. Carefully he looked inside, smiling as he looked at his wife, rocking their daughter as she sung a lullaby to her.  
  
‘ _Where the north wind meets the sea  
There's a river full of memory  
Sleep, my darling, safe and sound  
For in this river all is found_

_In her waters, deep and true  
Lay the answers and a path for you  
Dive down deep into her sound  
But not too far or you'll be drowned_

_Yes, she will sing to those who'll hear  
And in her song, all magic flows  
But can you brave what you most fear?  
Can you face what the river knows?_

_Where the north wind meets the sea  
There's a mother full of memory  
Come, my darling, homeward bound  
When all is lost, then all is found _’  
  
As she got into the last line of the song, she gently laid her daughter down in her crib. She smiled as she straightened up.  
“You can come in now Hakase.” She said gently, not wishing to wake the baby up. He gently opened the door, smiling. Somehow, she always knows if he is there. As he placed his arms around her waist he stared at his daughter, sleeping peacefully in the crib. Then he noticed something that the baby was hugging to her chest.

“Ikara, is that what I think it is?” He questioned. She hummed.  
“Seems she’s taking after her daddy.” She teased, as Hakase stared at his daughter, holding a duel monster card. More specifically the Stardust Dragon card. Ikara turned to him.  
“She found it and wouldn’t let go. Holding it even as I rocked her to sleep,” She murmured, “she’s been obsessed with it since she found this morning.”  
“Found it?” Hakase questioned, “How? I always have them in my office and the door is always closed.”

“I was cleaning the office while she was crawling around, she is at that age after all. I accidentally knocked your cards over and was picking them up, however she picked that one from the pile on the floor. At first, she just stared it, then she started laughing and holding it in her hands, even as I tried to take it away,” Ikara laughed.  
“When I finally managed to take it away she started crying. Nothing I did could sooth her, rocking her, trying to feed her, singing to her… she only calmed down after I gave her the card back.”  
Hakase could only stare, shocked by her story. Slowly he turned towards the crib again, just smiling and hugging Ikara as they stared at their sleeping daughter, who was still hugging the card to her chest.

* * *

Months pass and little Yusei grows into a bubbly one-year-old. As her first birthday came up Hakase and Ikara planned a very small party for her, only inviting Rex and Rudger over. Neither of them had parents who were alive and they also didn’t have any siblings. On one side they felt bad that their daughter had such little family, however she loved Rex and Rudger, wanting them to hold her every time they came over. They expect this time to be no different.

On July 7th early in the morning, Hakase and Ikara decorated the condo’s living room. Blowing up several balloons, hanging up streamers and placing the presents in front of the television. As they finished, they heard a knock on the door. Hakase opened the door, smiling as he saw the Godwin brothers. He quietly invited them in, gesturing for them to sit down on the couch. After placing down the presents they had brought they accepted his offer. Ikara stood up, walking towards the nursery room. Placing her ear on the door, she listened for any sounds in the room. Hearing some soft giggles, she opened the door.

She laughed as she saw the position her precious daughter had taken. Sitting with her back towards the bars of her crib, she tried to reach the little dragon baby mobile Hakase made for her, all the while clutching the white dragon plushie in her arms. As Yusei heard the door open she turned around.

“Mama mama!” She shouted, dropping her plushie and grabbing the bars of her crib, standing on her little feet. Ikara scooped her out of her crib.  
“Good morning my little star! Today is a very exciting day for you!” Ikara said as she walked towards the door.

As they got to the living room Yusei stared at all of the new decorations that were hung up in the living room. She had never seen so many colours before. Shortly after checking out the decorations though her eyes settles on the two forms sitting on the couch. She reached her arms out to them.  
“Es, Uge!” She shouted. All present laughed. While she still couldn’t pronounce their names completely, Yusei had taken to calling Rex Es and Rudger Uge. Luckily, they learned quite quickly who she meant.

She soon settles down when she was placed in Rudger’s arms though.  
“Rudger, watch out that she doesn’t grab your –“ Hakase tried to warn just as Yusei grabbed Rudger’s hair and gave it a pull. Rudger gave a short yelp.  
“Hair…” He sighed. Recently Yusei had taken interest in grabbing peoples’ hair. He himself already had that happen several times.  
“Yusei… no hair pulling.” Ikara said, wagging her finger in front of her daughter. Yusei looked at her for a moment, before turning back to her godfather, looking down apologetically. Rudger laughed.  
“It’s alright little one. Just don’t do it again.” He said as he booped her on the nose. That got a smile back on her face real fast.

Hakase came back from the kitchen, carrying a small cake with white, silver and dark blue frosting. A yellow candle in the shape of a number 1 placed on top. Yusei squealed and tried to fight her way out of Rudger’s arms.  
“Hold on feisty pants.” Ikara laughed as she placed her daughter in her highchair, the child barely allowing her mother to put on her little protective so she doesn’t get food all over her clothes.

“Make a wish sweetheart.” Hakase said, even though he knew that Yusei didn’t understand what that meant yet. Yusei wasn’t interested in the candle though, she just wanted the cake. Laughing Hakase blew out the candle and removed it from the cake. Ikara brought over some plates, as well as forks and a cutting knife. As Hakase started cutting the cake, Ikara got everybody a drink. Coffee for the adults and tea, which had cooled a bit, for the littlest one in the room. Yusei immediately started eating her cake, getting vanilla frosting all over her face. Ikara quickly grabbed the camera, wanting to capture as much of the moment as possible. As Yusei and the adults finished their cake pieces, Yusei’s of course smaller than the adults for obvious reasons, her parents laughed at the mess she made of herself.

“I don’t think just getting some wet towels will be enough,” Ikara giggled, standing up as she said “I’ll go give her a quick bath and change her clothes. You gentlemen relax.” Taking off Yusei’s protective jacket, which luckily protected her clothes from the onslaught unlike her face, she picked her daughter up and took her to the bathroom.

* * *

After giving Yusei her bath and changing her into some different clothes, a orange shirt with stripes and some simple pants and socks, Ikara took her back to the living room. She smiled as she saw Hakase laughing with the two brothers. ‘Lately he hasn’t had a lot of time to relax…’ She thought, however shook away the thought.

Now it was time for presents! As Yusei sat in her father’s lap she opened the presents one by one. She was actually doing it quite neatly, surprisingly enough. Among the presents were more clothes, toys galore, a cute pair of sneakers that Rudger found while he was abroad for a month and a new dragon plushie which Yusei immediately got attached too. The day passed quite quickly. Ikara and Hakase offered the brothers to stay with them for dinner, however they refused, saying they wanted the family to have some special time with each other. It was their daughter’s first birthday after all. After seeing the brothers out, Hakase returned back to the living room, sighing as he plopped down on the couch next to his wife. Yusei was on the ground, playing with a puzzle which had been one of her presents. They both laughed as she tried to put a very big piece in a very small area of the puzzle.

“What a day…” Ikara sighed as she laid her head of his shoulder. Hakase hummed. He had one more surprise in store. He kissed his wife on the top of her head before getting up, kneeling in front of his daughter. His daughter, who started to look more and more like him every day. Her hair so far had stayed that jet-black colour, however he could have sworn he could see some blondish stripes coming through. She had been growing so much that he had a feeling she will be quite tall as well.

“I have one more little surprise for you, my precious little dragon.” He said as he reached into his pocket. Ikara sat up, not knowing what was coming. Hakase took out a small box. Slowly he opened the lid. Yusei just stared at the sparkly object within the box.

“Oh Hakase…” Ikara almost shouted, looking into the box as well. Hakase slowly lifted the object up.  
It was a necklace. The shape of the pendant was that of Stardust Dragon, Yusei’s favourite card. The dragon stood proudly with its wings half spread, glistening in the soft lights of the living room. Hakase handed the silver necklace to his wife, who could do nothing else but be in awe of it.  
“It’s beautiful…” She said softly, turning the necklace in her hand. On the back it read:  
‘Yusei Fudou, July 7th, our star in the darkness’.

“Dear, for now it might be best if you wore it. Having her wear a necklace might not be the best idea because she is so small. We will let her wear it as soon as we can.” Hakase suggested. Ikara smiled and knew he was right. They don’t want their precious light to choke on it after all. She placed the necklace around her neck, touching it gently. Yusei tried to climb up her mother’s lap, reaching for the necklace.

“Soon Yusei,” Ikara said gently, “you need to be a little bit older to wear this. Until then mama will keep it safe.” Hakase gently picked his daughter up, placing her on his lap.

“Papa!” Yusei shouted, trying to reach for his hair. He quickly tilted his head back. ‘Should have seen that coming.’ He thought. Yusei soon settles down, laying her head on his head, yawning.

“Guess it’s time for a nap.” Ikara sighed as she laid her head on her husband’s shoulder. He gently placed his head on hers as they watched their daughter drift off on his chest.  
Suddenly he heard Ikara sing something.  
_  
‘Some things never change  
Turn around and the time has flown  
Some things stay the same  
Though the future remains unknown  
May our good luck last  
May our past be past  
Time's moving fast, it's true  
Some things never change  
And I’m holding on tight to you…’_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And there we are! More cute baby Yusei scenes. I know this scene had quite a few events in it, but I made that choice consciously. I wanted to create a picture of her first year with some of the more important events for her parents, as well build that bond up a bit. Next chapter there is going to be some action happening so stay tuned for that!  
> Please comment what you liked, give tips on what I can improve and I hope you have a very nice morning/afternoon/evening/night where ever you are!
> 
> Songs:  
> All is found, Frozen 2  
> Some things never change, Frozen 2


	3. When all is lost

_Chapter 3  
_  
The alarm rang loudly through the bedroom. Ikara groaned as she turned around, still half asleep as she turned it off. She sighed softly and felt beside her. The spot next to her was abandoned already, cold to the touch.  
‘Must have left early to go to work…’ She sighed softly. Lately, Hakase had been trying to shut down the project, it had turned simply to dangerous. Especially with those lightning storms that kept showing up while the reactor was acting up. She groaned as she looked at the clock, 7 o’clock it read.  
‘He must have left before dawn than.’ Ikara groaned as her back popped in several places when she sat up. Just as she stood up to go get ready for the day, she heard a soft cry coming through the baby phone next to her. She smiled. At least she wasn’t alone in the condo.

After swiftly changing her clothes and freshening up, she entered the nursery. As per usual, Yusei was already standing there in her crib, waiting for her mother to get her.  
“Good morning Yusei.” Ikara smiled as she picked her bubbly baby up.  
“Mama!” Yusei giggled, reaching for the necklace that Ikara still wore around her neck. Yusei always checked every morning if it was still there.  
“Don’t worry little one, it’s still there.” Ikara said, kissing her head afterwards. She walked out of the nursery towards the kitchen, it was breakfast time after all.

* * *

After feeding Yusei, as well as herself, and changing the baby into her clothes for the day, Ikara decided that she would take Yusei to the park that was right next door. Checking the time on her watch she saw it was 9 o’clock. Today was the day that she would go to Hakase’s work and have lunch, just the three of them. However, that wouldn’t happen for several hours. As she arrived at the park she took Yusei out of her stroller and placed her on the blanket she had laid out. Knowing that her daughter never strays too far from her, Ikara settled down and grabbed her book. Yusei was content playing with her dragon plushie, which still came with them everywhere they went. Normally Yusei would also play with her favourite card, however her father needed it at work today, so that was not available right now. However, Ikara had a feeling that she might get it back when they visited him today.

A couple of hours passed, the time passing in a mix of Yusei napping and playing, Ikara reading and eating a snack she had prepared for them. Soon it was 12 o’clock, time to go get ready for lunch. Picking her sleeping daughter up and cleaning up the blanket, Ikara made her way back to the condo.

After changing her clothes as well as Yusei’s, Ikara placed Yusei in her car seat and got in the drivers’ seat herself. Glancing through the rear-view mirror to check on her daughter one last time, Ikara started the engine and started on the trip towards the factory in which Hakase’s work was located. It was around a 15-minute drive, so she got there around 1 o’clock. Parking her car, she suddenly got the feeling something was off. The workers seemed nervous, especially the guards that were stationed there. Shrugging it off she got out of the car and took Yusei out her car seat. She walked towards the lobby, receiving her visitors’ tag from the receptionist. Yusei looked around with big eyes as she made her way towards Hakase’s office, she had never been here after all.

After the short journey through the halls towards Hakase’s office, she finally arrived at her destination. She knocked on the door, hoping Hakase was inside. As she heard no response though, she decided to go in, figuring he was probably still in the control room. After laying Yusei down in the travel crib Hakase had placed in the room, she decided to go find him. The control room wasn’t that far from the office and Yusei was already passed out. Kissing her daughter’s head one time she walked out of the room.

* * *

As she travelled towards the control room, the vibe she got from this place started to get to her. All of the workers were very nervous, as if waiting for something to happen. Just as she arrived at the corridor that held the door to the control room, the alarm started going off. She looked up, panicked.  
‘Why is the alarm going off?’ She asked herself, walking more briskly towards the door. Before she got there however, the door already busted open, revealing her husband, who had been thrown through the door. Ikara ran to him.  
“Hakase!” She cried out, touching his face. The cut underneath his eye was bleeding and she could have sworn he had a wound on his side. That didn’t matter to him though. He looked at her with wide eyes, grabbing her hand.  
“Ikara we need to leave, the reactor is not stable! It’s too dangerous.” He shouted, struggling to stand up. Rex ran to their side, concerned for his friend. He helped him get up and they started off towards one of the emergency exits. Suddenly, Ikara stopped, horrified at how she could forget something so important.  
“Yusei!” She cried out as she ran in the other direction. Hakase’s eyes widened. ‘Of course, Yusei is probably in my office.‘ He thought frantically, struggling to free himself from Rex’ grip.  
“Hakase calm down, we will follow her. There is another emergency exit near there.” Rex said calmly, almost to calm in Hakase’s opinion, however he shoved the feeling aside. All that mattered now was getting to his wife and daughter. As they reached the corridor, they could only look on in horror as the floor ripped open, separating them from Yusei and Ikara.

Ikara ran out of the office, Yusei cradled in her arms, crying loudly. She didn’t understand what was going on. Ikara could only stare as the hole became wider, separating her from her husband.  
“Ikara!” Hakase shouted as he saw her look around frantically. She looked towards them, tears in her eyes. She took a deep breath and got a steely look in her eyes.  
“Rex get him to safety!” She ordered, looking down the hallway which was still connected to her part of the corridor. Hakase started to struggle.  
“Ikara don’t you dare! Stay there we will get you out of there!” He shouted, crying out as his side started bleeding more heavily. He looked at her, regret showing in her eyes.  
“I love you! Find Yusei!” She shouted as she started to run towards the one room she knew that could save her daughter.  
“IKARA!!!” Hakase shouted before passing out, darkness claiming his vision.

* * *

Ikara took some heaving breaths as she entered the room. She tried to shush her daughter, who was still crying hysterically. She took off her scarf, which was almost like a small blanket, and laid it down in the escape pod. She rocked her daughter, knowing one thing that might calm her down.

‘ _Where the north wind meets the sea_  
_There's a mother full of memory_  
_Come, my darling, homeward bound_  
_When all is lost, then all is found’_

As gently as she could she placed her daughter on the scarf, tears streaming down her face. Hoping that somehow, someday, her daughter will find her way home to her father. Yusei just stared at her in confusion, tears streaming down her face as well. Ikara smiled gently, placing a kiss on her head. She quickly took off the necklace and placed it inside the pod with Yusei.  
“Be brave my little star. Knowing that mama will always be there for you.” She cried, kissing her daughter one last time, before standing up straight. She looked at the control panel next to her, pressing the buttons to close the pod and send it off. As she watched the pod fly off, she smiled one last time. Her daughter was safe and that is all that mattered to her. Just as she closed her eyes, she heard a loud explosion and after that knew no more.

* * *

Beep… Beep… Beep…  
That was the first thing he heard as he came to. His body ached, as if it were hit by a truck. He opened his eyes slowly, immediately closing them again due to the bright light hanging above him. Carefully he tried again, going even slower now, allowing his eyes to adjust. He blinked a couple of time.  
‘Where am I?’ He tried to think back to the last thing he remembered. He recalled being in the control room, being told that he was no longer the head of the project. ‘Saw that coming,’ Hakase thought. ‘board never liked me anyway, especially when I started working on shutting the project down.’ The next thing he remembers is Rudger… Rudger took over! He doesn’t understand how his loyal friend could ever do this to him, especially as he used to share the same concerns as Hakase. He didn’t look the same as he usually did. He looked more… crazed. After that he remembers stealing the cards that Rudger held up for him to see. He also recalled dropping one. His heart ached. He hoped it was safe. After that he remembers the guards shooting at him, getting the side of his face and his side.  
‘Well that explains the aching there.’ He thought. From that point it became blurry. He remembers Ikara… IKARA! She was there. Rex came and helped him up, pulling him towards the nearest exit. Ikara however ran the opposite direction.  
‘Oh my god! Yusei!’ Hakase suddenly sat up, yelping as he stretched the stitches in his side. He recalls it fully now. Standing there on the other side of the gap, Ikara telling Rex to get him out of there and that she loved him. After that she ran off in the other direction, Yusei in her arms. He started to panic.  
‘What happened? Did they make it out? Where are they?’ He started to question in his head.

He looked up as the door opened. Rex walked in, a sad look on his face. Hakase’s heart dropped.  
“Rex…” He muttered, startling the other man. He hadn’t noticed the man in the bed had woken up yet.  
“What happened?” Hakase asked, nerves going through the roof. Rex sighed.  
“The Momentum malfunctioned. It exploded. Separated part of the city from the rest. We don’t know how many, if any, survived.” He muttered, sitting down next to him. Hakase had to ask the question he almost dreaded to ask.  
“Rex… where are Ikara and Yusei?” He asked softly, fearing the answer he could possibly get. Rex looked him straight in the eye and Hakase saw it. Saw the despair and sadness in them.  
“No…” Hakase said, tears streaming down his face. “Please tell me they made it out…” He pleaded.  
“They… they haven’t been found yet. They are presumed dead…” Rex hated bringing the man this news. In the span of minutes, he had lost both his wife and only child, his precious daughter. He wiped away a tear at the corner of his eye. He had to remain strong for his friend. He embraced his friend gently as he cried into his shoulder, all of the sadness, disbelieve and despair coming out.

* * *

Hakase stared at the door, not wanting to go in. After being released from the hospital, Rex had offered him to stay at his house for a while but Hakase refused. He just wanted to be alone right now. Slowly he opened the door, sadness immediately taking a hold of him at the sight of the family pictures that were right next to the door. He ignored them, striding past them towards the living room. Everywhere he looked though, he was reminded of the painful truth that his wife and daughter were gone, killed by the thing he had created. Dark thoughts crept into his mind.  
He started muttering to himself.  
  
_‘I've seen dark before, but not like this  
This is cold, this is empty, this is numb  
The life I knew is over, the lights are out  
Hello, darkness, I'm ready to succumb’  
  
_He trembled as he looked at the family pictures scattered around the room, staring at the face of his wife on their wedding day. _  
‘I follow you around, I always have  
But you've gone to a place I cannot find  
This grief has a gravity, it pulls me down  
But a tiny voice whispers in my mind’  
_  
He wandered towards the kitchen, staring at his reflection in the window. _  
‘You are lost, hope is gone  
But you must go on  
And do the next right thing’  
_  
He stared out of the window as the sky darkened. _  
‘Can there be a day beyond this night?  
I don't know anymore what is true  
I can't find my direction, I'm all alone  
The only star that guided me was you’  
_  
He wandered into his bedroom, sinking down to the floor on the side of the bed that is… was his wife’s. His shoulders started to tremble. _  
‘How to rise from the floor?  
But it's not you I'm rising for  
Just do the next right thing’  
  
_Slowly he forced himself up, hands lingering on the sheets before moving away. As he walked through the door he looked left, dreading to enter the room that lay at the end. _  
‘Take a step, step again  
It is all that I can to do  
The next right thing’  
_  
He took a step forward, uncertain whether he should even open that door. _  
‘I won't look too far ahead  
It's too much for me to take  
But break it down to this next breath, this next step  
This next choice is one that I can make’  
  
_He opened the door, tears streaming down his face as he looked at the nursery. He sank down next to the crib, staring at the picture of the happy family he used to have. _  
‘So I'll walk through this night  
Stumbling blindly toward the light  
And do the next right thing  
And, with the dawn, what comes then?  
When it's clear that everything will never be the same again’  
  
_He took a deep breath. He knew this pain would never go away, yet he could still honour his daughter’s and wife’s memory, however much it may hurt him to do so. _  
‘Then I'll make the choice to hear that voice  
And do the next right thing’  
_  
He placed the picture back on the shelf he had retrieved it from. His heart ached at the thought of his daughter, smiling brightly, clutching her dragon plushie and Stardust Dragon card tightly. He sighed at the thought. He had given the three remaining card he had, Red Demon’s Dragon, Black Rose Dragon and Stardust Dragon, to Rex, requesting he keep them safe. He couldn’t keep them after what happened. It would remind him too much of what he had lost. Slowly he turned around and closed the door, not knowing if he would ever open it again. 

* * *

While many were believed to not have survived the explosion that caused the city to split apart, quite a few actually had. It was a miracle, it was mostly the buildings that had been affected. People were still injured, but the death count so far was drastically lower than expected.  
A woman walked through the crowd, a young boy clinging to her skirt as she guided him away from the chaos that still lingered in the city.  
“Come on Jack, it’s okay.” She said gently, offering her hand to the three-year-old boy. He slowly took it, looking around nervously as they headed towards her home. She had already taken in a couple of children whose parents were either missing or died and she had found Jack by pure coincidence.

As they walked next to the waterside Jack started pulling on her hand. Martha slowed down and blinked down at him. He pointed to something laying on the beach. Suddenly Martha heard a soft cry. Almost like…  
‘A baby?’ Martha wondered, running towards the now revealed pod, which was beached at the waters edge. She took the lid of and gasped at the little baby inside. She could have barely been a year old, crying her little heart out, cheeks red from crying and her voice hoarse. Martha reached her hand in, hoping to calm the little babe down. The baby stopped its wailing, however tears still ran down her face.

“Where are your parents little one?” Martha voiced out loud, knowing the baby wouldn’t respond, as she picked her up. The baby shivered in the cold air. Martha quickly snatched the scarf that was inside the pod as well, wrapping the baby up into it. As she did that though, Jack noticed something shiny inside of the pod. He tugged at Martha’s skirt to get her attention, pointing to the object when she gave it to him. She reached inside, her face warping into a look of surprise as she stared at the necklace. It was silver with a dragon pendant. It had engravings on the back as well. _‘Yusei Fudou, July 7 th, our star in the darkness’_. Martha hummed. Clearly the baby, apparently named Yusei, had been loved by whomever her parents were. Martha glanced at the baby in her arms, making up her mind.  
“Jack, meet Yusei. She’s now your little sister.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, it is currently 1.13 AM for me, however I wanted to finish this chapter while I had the inspiration for it. I hope you enjoyed.  
> The next right thing was definitely one of the most heartbreaking scenes to write. When I first heard that song in the theatre my heart broke. If you feel like he got over their deaths quite quickly he IS NOT over it, he just accepts it for now.  
> As for them originally forgetting about Yusei, I mean what would you do if you were in that situation.  
> Anyway, it is time for me to go to bed now. Next chapter will hopefully be uploaded either tomorrow (well technically today) or Monday. It depends how much time I have tomorrow besides studying for my upcoming exam week!
> 
> Song:   
> All is found, Frozen 2


	4. A million dreams

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I managed to finish this chapter before dinner after doing a bit of studying, sorry if it seems a bit strange with the timeline but I really wanted to get this one out so we can get to the actual story arc of the series! Please enjoy ^^

Chapter 4. A million dreams  
  
Blue eyes watched her prey as he moved through the room, looking for something.  
“Yusei you can come out now, I am going to find you anyway. You can’t hide from me…” The boy teased, looking underneath the bed. Yusei giggled, but soon realised her mistake, clamping her hands over her mouth. The boy smirked as he looked towards the wardrobe. Just as he was about to open the doors, they flew open. A seven-year-old girl flew out, trying to escape her pursuer.

Screaming and laughing the two children ran through the house, causing the other children to look up from whatever they were doing. They all shook their head.  
‘Here they go again.’ All of them thought collectively. As soon as they did the duo ran outside, continuing their game of chase behind the house. Soon though, Yusei was caught.

‘Jack let gooooo!” She squealed, trying to escape her captor’s grip. Jack only tightened his grip though.  
“Oh no you don’t! You know the rules, once caught you can’t escape!” He said, starting to tickle her. She couldn’t contain her laughter, her sides starting to hurt as he continued his onslaught.  
“NO NO NO, JACK LET GO! I CAN’T TAKE ANYMORE.” She started struggling more vigorously, her only objective in mind to escape. He just tightened his grip even more, intent on not letting her escape.

Behind them someone cleared their throat. The two quickly separated, both of their faces flushing as they stared up at their guardian, her hands on her hips.  
“You two caused quite the ruckus.” She scolded, looking down at the two children. She couldn’t really blame them though. Their seven and nine year old minds were in constant play mode at this age. ‘Still they need to understand that they are not the only ones living in the house.’ Martha sighed.  
“It is fine to play loud out here, however try to refrain it from doing inside. There are other children there as well who appreciate peace and quiet.” She scolded gently. The children looked down.  
“Yes Martha.” They both replied. Martha smiled at that.  
“Now come on, it’s dinner time.” She held both her hands out for the children. Yusei immediately took one, Jack however just scoffed, folded his arms and started back towards the house. Martha frowned but shook it off. ‘Guess he doesn’t want to be treated as a little kid anymore.’

* * *

Later in the evening the children were all put to bed. Two people weren’t ready to rest though. One crept out of her bed, pulling on her jacket and her mother’s scarf, at least that is what Martha had told her it was, and closing the door gently. What she didn’t notice was a pair of violet eyes watching her every move.

Yusei sighed as she sat down on the roof of the house, staring up at the sky. Very rarely you could see a star through the thick smog. Tonight was one of those nights. She stared up at the star, wondering what this feeling was she had.  
‘Why do I feel that I don’t belong here…?’ She thought. In the distance, she stared at the lights of the city, wondering what it would be like to live there. She fingered the necklace around her neck, deep in thought.

“I knew you would be up here.” A voice startled her out of her thoughts. She turned around and stared at Jack as he climbed up, sitting down next to her. She gave him a glance before staring off into the distance again.  
“What’s on your mind?” He muttered, leaning back so he was half sitting and half laying down, leaning on his elbows. Yusei shrugged.  
“Same old same old.” She just said, not willing to go into detail. He stared at her.  
“I know there is more going on than that.” Yusei sighed. How did he always know when something was bothering her.  
“I’m just wondering what it would be like if we lived in the city, instead of Satellite. It seems so different, so much… brighter.” Yusei muttered. “These thoughts just keep me up at night, dreaming of the day that we could finally visit it.”

Jack hummed. Yusei sighed.  
“I know it sounds silly, but I feel like we need to change Satellite, make it safer somehow. I just don’t know how…”  
“Those are some big dreams.” Jack replied. “How would we even start?” Yusei shrugged. She hadn’t thought that far ahead yet.  
“I don’t know, but…” She stopped herself. How could she possibly explains this to him.  
“But what?” He questioned, sitting up. She looked him straight in the eye, royal blue meeting violet. She sighed and started muttering something.  
_‘I close my eyes and I can see  
The world that's waiting up for me  
That I call my own  
Through the dark, through the door  
Through where no one's been before  
But it feels like home_’  
  
Jack just stared at her, uncertain how to react. She just continued on. _  
‘They can say, they can say it all sounds crazy  
They can say, they can say I've lost my mind  
I don't care, I don't care, so call me crazy  
We can live in a world that we design’  
_  
He smiled at the thought. How nice it would be to go to the place you have always wanted to be. _  
'Cause every night I lie in bed  
The brightest colors fill my head  
A million dreams are keeping me awake  
I think of what the world could be  
A vision of the one I see  
A million dreams is all it's gonna take  
A million dreams for the world we're gonna make’  
  
_Yusei fell quiet at that, thinking of everything she just revealed to him. She turned to face him, having turned away in embarrassment before. When she saw his smile though, she knew he felt the same way. They cuddled close, just staring up at the night sky, at the lone star in the sea of darkness.

* * *

**Nine years later  
  
**A lot had changed in the nine years since they had shared that moment on the rooftop.  
‘Changed for the better and for the worse.’ Thought sixteen-year-old Yusei Fudou, staring at the skyline she could see from the beach.  
  
When she was 10 years old Jack and herself had met another boy, named Crow. They soon became the best of friends. Martha took Crow in shortly afterwards.

As soon as Jack had turned sixteen though, he wanted to leave, stand on his own two feet. Not wanting him to be alone, Crow and Yusei followed him. Soon they set up shop in an abandoned building near Sector D, trying to survive on their own. They started working on some duel discs, wanting to use them to be able to protect themselves as well as hopefully eradicate the bad gang presence in the area. Yusei, being the engineer of the group surprisingly, had actually managed to create 3 working duel discs from scrap parts that Jack and Crow brought to her. They tried their best, but their efforts seemed futile. The gang was slowly pushing them back. Just as they were about to give up, they met someone who led them forward.

Kiryu Kyosuke met the group while they were trying to recover from a harsh day of running from the gang who controlled the area. He saw their potential, they just needed someone to lead them. They started liberating areas of Satellite, creating better living conditions for its people. Along the way, she found her ace, the card that she almost felt called out to her. Stardust Dragon was a majestic dragon, which she felt an instant connection with. When studying it closer, she had realised back then that it looked quite a bit like the pendant on her necklace, but shook the thought away. Classified as it just being a coincidence. After that though, things started to go awry for team Satisfaction. Yusei shook her head. She didn’t want to remember the time of team Satisfaction and how it had ended.

After they all went their separate ways though, she and Jack stayed together and started working on a duel runner together. They felt hopeful, this could be their chance to get out of here. What Yusei didn’t know though, was that Jack had decided on something that would shatter her heart into a million pieces.

He came to her in a panic, telling her that Rally, one of her close friends, was tied up on a boat by another gang and was pushed out into the sea surrounding Satellite. She turned to help him, getting on the duel runner and riding, with Jack sitting behind her, to the area where Jack had last seen Rally. As they arrived, she saw the boat getting pushed further and further away by the sea. She didn’t hesitate for a moment. She quickly threw off her jacket and her belt, not wanting her cards to get soaked, before diving into the water. Frantically she started swimming towards the boat, getting to Rally just as he started to lose hope. She quickly untied the knots, surprising that he hadn’t been bound very well, and started dragging him towards the shore.

Yusei coughed as she pulled Rally onto the shore, spitting out the grimy salty water that she had swallowed. Taking a few heaving breaths, she first checked in on Rally, who was shivering badly, scared out of his mind. Just as she reached for her jacket to put around him, she noticed something was off. Jack was nowhere to be seen and neither was her duel runner. She looked around, squinting her eyes to see if she could find him anywhere. He was nowhere to be seen though.  
‘Jack…?’ She thought in her mind. Quickly she wrapped Rally up in her jacket, before reaching for her belt. She noticed that her deck holder was open.  
‘Wait what?’ Quickly she checked her deck, looking through it to see what Jack had taken. Her heart dropped as she realised what card he had taken from her. Tears filled her eyes.  
“How could you…” She muttered, one tear escaping and dripping down her face. She shivered violently, not just from the cold. She took a deep breath, nothing she could do about it now. She knows where he went, and she set her mind on following him, however long it might take to achieve her goal. 

* * *

**Two years later  
  
**Rats scurried throughout the tunnel, looking for any scrap of food that they could find. Suddenly a loud roar could be heard through the tunnel, a blinding light racing towards the critters. They all scurried away, through the small cracks that were protruding from the walls. A red blur passed them at blazing speed. The rider accelerated even more, trying to go to max speed. Just as she hit it though, there was a loud bang and the power was immediately cut off, causing the rider to almost fall of the runner. The rider sighed, ‘there goes another part.’ Slowly blue eyes looked up to the sky through the crack in the ceiling.  
‘No matter how long it takes Jack, I will come after you.’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And there we go. Again sorry if it seemed a bit rushed, however I didn't want to spend too much time on their childhood in Satellite. Now we get into the actual arc of 5D's, this is going to be exciting! From this point on my updates might be slightly more irregular, since I have to go to school again and have my exam week coming up. However I will try to write the next chapter tonight so it can be uploaded tomorrow *Fingers crossed*.
> 
> Song:  
> A Million Dreams, The Greatest Showman


	5. And so it begins

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Sorry, this chapter took a bit longer than I had expected! Therefore it might also be a bit shorter. We are starting the Fortune-cup arc now! Do note that I might change the way conversations go than those from the series. Please enjoy!

_Chapter 5. And so it begins  
_  
Squeaking was heard as a red duel runner was pushed through the tunnel. It took some effort, but Yusei took it easily, having gotten used to the heavy weight ever since she started working on the runner about 2 years ago. As she approached her hide out, she heard the distinct buzz of her tv, that she had managed to fix. As she got closer, she could make out three blacked out silhouettes through the bright cloth wall. She already knew why they were here and she wasn’t interested to join them.

“ _Mr. Atlas, can we have a word?”_ A male pushed through the crowd, holding a microphone out for the other male to talk. “ _Ever since you have graced us with your presence a little over two years ago with your first duel runner, nobody has been able to keep up with you. Please tell us your secret, is it the power of your runner which has catapulted you to the number one ranking in the world?_ ” Jack grunted and snatched the mic away from the reporter, leaving him sputtering as he turned to the camera.  
“ _Lets get one thing straight! It is not the power of the runner, but the power of the rider! I will take on anyone on any ride and I will still be the victorious one. Any other questions?_” He turned back towards the reporter, scowling. The reporter nodded numbly, before shaking himself and getting right back into his role.  
“ _One more: Do you have anything to say to anyone who dream to challenge you one day?_ ”

Yusei sighed and stood up, walking into the room. The three people around the tv looked up, their eyes widening before they made a dive towards the tv.

“ _Yes. Bring it –_ “ The broadcast was cut off as the man wearing a bandana turned it off.

“Yusei! Hey, hi uhm…. How’s it going?!” He asked, rubbing his neck, a nervous tick. As if Yusei already couldn’t tell their nervousness from her body language.   
Yusei removed her helmet. Though she hasn’t changed much physically over the years, there were some changes. For one, while her hair had been a bit longer when she was younger, she decided to have it shorter now. Her black hair was spiky and unkempt, the ends brushing her neck gently. It was also streaked with gold-bronze highlights. Secondly, while she was still slim, she had grown quite a bit. She had grown a bit taller, though most of her growth were to her muscles, which you could see even through her jacket slightly toned. Her clothing style hadn’t made much of a change. She wore a dark blue jacket with amber-gem details and a black shirt with a red design on it. Trailer downwards her paints were tight black jeans, with brown motorcycle boots and brown motorcycle gloves, again with a little amber gem detailing. Not that they were actual amber gems, those were nowhere to be found in Satellite, but she quite liked the pop of colour it provided her outfit.

Placing her helmet on the table with her right hand, her left hand reached for her toolbox. She knelt next to her runner and started to dismantle the part that had exploded. The boys just stared.

“We are really sorry Yuse, we really wanted to see the race somewhere else, but the cable wasn’t long enough.” Said the stocky man, scratching his head while looking down in guilt.

“Jack was amazing as always.” The man with the dreadlocks said, crossing his arms. Yusei stopped working for a moment, before continuing on as if nothing was said. The taller man elbowed him in his side, making him jump slightly.  
“Ouch Blitz, what was that about?!”   
“Shut it Nervin. We do not need to hear about how great Jack was.” Blitz scoffed, crossing his arm.

Yusei stopped working as she looked up at them.  
“Was he facing a wimp?” She questioned, not looking impressed at all. Blitz nodded.  
“Then it’s not very impressive.” She concluded, turning back around.

They still hadn’t forgiven Jack for what he did two years ago, stealing the runner Yusei had build and taking her favourite card. He left them all behind in this dump while he now gets to enjoy his freedom and fame in the city.

“So, what happened Yuse?” Asked Tank, leaning over to see what she was doing. She sighed.  
“The acceleration chip overheated, causing a meltdown and small explosion in the area. Luckily nothing else was damaged but the chip is beyond the point of repair. Looks like we are going to have to look for a new one.” She shook her head. That could take a very long time…

“Yusei!” The black-haired woman looked up as a person ran down the stairs. She smiled gently.  
“Hey Rally, what’s up?” Rally ran over excitedly. Dressed in an oversized orange shirt with a light blue coat overtop, his curly orange-reddish hair flying everywhere, the beany he wore the only thing containing some of it.   
“I found something that I thought you could use!” Rally exclaimed proudly, holding up a small object.  
“Is that…?” Nervin started, looking at the object. Rally mhmm-ed.  
“It’s the new acceleration chip that is out right now!” Rally jumped around, showing everybody his find.

There was one thing they were all wondering though.  
“Rally, where did you find this?” Blitz asked, with a very implying tone. Rally looked up at him.  
“I didn’t steal it if that is what you were wondering. It was just laying there on the street, so I decided that Yusei could use it.” Yusei took the chip from Rally, examining it for any damage. Shrugging she started to install it on her runner, rebuilding the surrounding case and connecting her laptop to the ports so she could see the stats of the runner. She hummed.   
‘Everything looks fine right now. Some stats have even increased.’ She grabbed the throttle and gave it a quick turn, still staring at the screen. Her eyes widened.  
‘Wow, that chip really worked well.’

“Yusei can’t be thinking of keeping it. You do not know where it came from!” Blitz cried out, rubbing his neck. He really needs to work on that nervous habit. Yusei shrugged.  
“Probably can’t hurt, besides, if Rally speaks the truth and he found it on the street I see no harm in using it.” She said casually. Basically, everything in Satellite was either stolen or dumped here by the city, so she couldn’t care less.

Just as she walked back in the hut to grab her helmet, bright lights were shining down through the crack in the ceiling, filling the tunnel with light.   
“Verification Number: AWX86007, Rally Dawson, you are the suspect of larceny! Surrender peacefully and we won’t have to use force!”

Everyone turned towards Rally, who was scratching at his marker.  
“I swear guys it was just laying there!” He exclaimed, wringing his hands together. Yusei sighed.  
“Nothing we can do about it now.” So concluded, grabbing her helmet and walking towards her runner. ‘Guess now is a good time to test the chip.’

She turned towards her friends, getting on her ride.   
“Use the tunnel to escape from them. I will lead them away. I jammed the signal of the mark for now, but I do not know how long it will last.” Before they even had the time to reply she started her runner and raced up the stairs.

* * *

Security was waiting, batons at the ready just in case. Suddenly, they heard a roar. Everybody looked towards the stairs, where a light started to appear. Just then a red blur flew over them and sped away, immediately causing all of the motorcycle agents and the helicopter that was there to chase after it.

Yusei turned into an old factory building, security right on her heels. She quickly looked behind, seeing several bikers and a helicopter. The helicopter couldn’t follow any further as she went into the building, the bikers however didn’t give up. She skids to a stop, turning her runner a quarter while breaking, causing her to end up looking sideways at them.

Just as the bikers reached her they stopped. One took of his helmet and started walking towards her.  
“Nice runner, where’d you steal it from?” He teased, causing the others to laugh. Yusei just glared at him, crossing her arms.   
“Tough guy huh? Wonder how tough you will be when we take you in. Duel runners are not allowed on Satellite, just like decks.” He chuckled, glancing at her hip, where her deck was located.

“Duel me.”  
  
“Huh?” Tough guy said, looking surprised. Then he started laughing, leaning on his knees with his hands.  
“Oh this is rich! Look at that men, we have a _girl_ wanting to duel _me_!” All of the other men started laughing as well. Yusei scoffed.   
‘Men.’ She thought. Tough guy turned to her.  
“Alright little girl, I’ll accept your challenge.” The other guys in the unit immediately stopped laughing, looking at each other nervously.   
“Oi Trudge, you sure that is a good idea? What if headquarters hear about this?” One of the guys questioned. Trudge turned to him.  
“Are you implying that I will lose?” Trudge asked, his voice turning dangerously low. The guy’s eyes widened in fear.  
“N-no! O-of course not! Hehe, we won’t say anything right guys?” He quickly turned towards his colleagues, who readily agreed on that, not wanting to cause any more problems with their unit captain.   
“Alright little girl, lets do this!” He ran towards his runner and jumped into the seat. They both revved up their bikes. They spared each other one more glance before both were off.  
  
“Duel!”  
“Duel!” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now that I am back at school my schedule will be a bit more irregular. I will try to upload every Sunday, but do note that means that the next time a chapter is posted it will be on the 26th of January. This gives me a week to write the chapter, besides doing my studies. I will probably do most of the writing during my public transport travels and in the evenings after school.
> 
> Next chapter: The duel Yusei VS Trudge! This should be interesting. Know I am not good at writing duels, but I will try my best. Also I am going to make the duels shorter, using little time skips to the most important story moments, instead of showing the entire thing.
> 
> Hope to see you on the 26th!


	6. Duel first, questions later

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here we are! After a busy week of tests (mostlikely failed a few of them) and lots of work days I am back with a new chapter. Now as I mentioned before, I am not the greatest at writing duels, so excuse my writing of the scene!  
> Please enjoy!

_Chapter 6. Duel first, questions later  
  
_‘Time to show this brat who she is really dealing with!’  
“I’ll start off by activating the **Speed World Spell Card**!” Trudge exclaimed, Yusei following right after. Both runners gave off a blueish transparent glow in the surrounding area, their screens turning purple as the card flashed on their screens. _  
**  
**DUEL MODE ENGAGED; AUTO PILOT STANDING BY**  
**_They waited for a few moments, both revving up their bikes.  
  
**_**DUEL MODE ENGAGED; AUTO PILOT ACTIVATED**_**  
And with that they were off! Both sped off at a fast pace, weaving through the tunnels of the abandoned area their duel was taking place in.  
  
**Yusei: 4000 LP (SPC: 0)  
Trudge: 4000 LP (SPC: 0)  
**  
Trudge quickly took the lead, shoving his way to the front.  
“I’ll go first!” He shouted, drawing a card from his deck.  
  
**Yusei: 4000 LP (SPC: 1)  
Trudge: 4000 LP (SPC: 1)  
**  
“As my first move I summon I place down **Assault Dog (LVL: 4 / ATK: 1200 / DEF: 800)** in attack mode. I also place one card face down and end my turn. Your turn kid.”  
  
Yusei took a look at the cards in her hand after drawing her card, trying to set up a game plan to beat this guy.  
“I summon **Speed Warrior (LVL: 2 / ATK: 900 / DEF: 400)** in attack mode! And because I normal summoned him, his attack points are doubled for this turn **(ATK: 1800)**. **Speed Warrior** attack his **Assault Dog**!” Said Yusei, her monster attacking the canine, destroying it. Trudge grunted softly, his life points lowering by 600.  
  
**Yusei: 4000 LP (SPC: 1)  
Trudge: 3400 LP (SPC: 1)  
**  
He chuckled softly.  
“That was a lucky shot, I basically gave you that move. However, that move doesn’t stop **Assault Dog’s** special ability. Because you destroyed him, I am allowed to summon another **Assault Dog**!” The officer yelled as another dog appeared, running beside him. Yusei snorted, unimpressed.  
“I place one card face down and end my turn.”  
They were now racing past streets and suburban areas, both of them gaining speed as they went on with their duel.  
  
**Yusei: 4000 LP (SPC: 2)  
Trudge: 3400 LP (SPC: 2)  
**  
“Don’t you even start thinking that you’ve got this duel in the bag, satellite! I sacrifice my **Assault Dog** so that I can summon **Handcuffs Dragon (LVL: 5 / ATK: 1800 / DEF 1800)**! And seeing as your turn has now ended, your **Speed Warrior** has lost his little energy boost. Now **Handcuffs Dragon** attack her **Speed Warrior (ATK: 900)**!” He pointed to her warrior, his dragon charging at it.  
  
“I use my trap card, **Scrap-Iron Scarecrow**! This stops your attack on my monster!” Yusei exclaimed, the card that was facedown on her field opening.  
“Nice try punk, but I use my card, **Wiretap** , which causes your card to return to your deck.” Trudge said mockingly as her warrior was destroyed.  
  
**Yusei: 3100 LP (SPC: 3)  
Trudge: 3400 LP (SPC: 3)  
**  
Yusei grunted, looking at her cards.  
“My turn. For my move, I summon my **Sonic Chick (LVL: 1 / ATK: 300 / DEF: 300)** as well as setting down two cards facedown. With that I end my turn.” Yusei said, her chick appearing on her side of the field in defence mode, giving it a blue shade, while two cards appeared facedown as well.  
  
**Yusei: 3100 LP (SPC: 4)  
Trudge: 3400 LP (SPC: 4)**  
  
Trudge let out a laugh as he looked at her monster.  
“So a chicken is going to save the chick herself? That is so pathetic, even for someone such as yourself punk! You sure want this to be over with quick, don’t you?” He slotted three cards in his hand.  
“I will end your suffering quickly then! By discarding these three cards, I can special summon my **Montage Dragon (LVL: 8)** and due to the cards, I used its attack points increase! **(ATK: 3000 / DEF: 0)  
**Now **Handcuffs Dragon** attacks your chicken and my **Montage Dragon** attacks you directly!” Trudge yelled, the two monsters changing at Yusei. She winced as the attack landed, her life points decreasing as well as her speed counters.  
  
**Yusei: 100 LP (SPC: 2)  
Trudge: 3400 LP (SPC: 5)  
**  
“You see now street punk?! You can’t beat me! It just goes to show; the satellites are nothing but a waste and trash that should just stay where they are! Just give up already!” Trudge said, egging her on.  
Yusei frowned, looking as her cards. She drew a card from her deck.  
She smiled.  
  
“Sorry Trudge, but there is no way that I am losing this duel. I summon my **Junk Synchron (LVL: 3 / ATK: 300 / DEF: 500)**. I also play my speed spell **Vision Wind** , which allows me to special summon my **Speed Warrior** back to the field. Now I use my **Junk Synchron** and **Speed Warrior** to synchro summon **Junk Warrior**! And because I used **Speed Warrior** to summon this monster, it gets a boost in its attack points **(ATK: 3200)**.” Yusei said as her monsters merged into one, **Junk Warrior** appearing on her side of the field.  
“Now, **Junk Warrior** attacks **Handcuffs Dragon**!” Yusei exclaimed, her warrior destroying the dragon, which left the field with a screech.  
  
**Yusei: 100 LP (SPC: 0)  
Trudge: 2000 LP (SPC: 4)  
**Trudge grinded his teeth but kept his cool.  
“That doesn’t matter! Because now, you activated **Handcuffs Dragon’s** ability! It’s now an equip card and it goes to your **Junk Warrior** , causing it to lose the extra attack points **(ATK: 1400)**.”  
  
“I play my card **Equip Shot** , which causes the effect to equip itself to **Montage Dragon**!” Yusei yelled as the effect took its hold **(ATK: 1200)**! This reverses the effect on **Junk Warrior** , who now gets back those points you tried to take! **(ATK: 3200)** **Junk Warrior** attack his **Montage Dragon**!” The raven-haired girl yelled as her monster faced off against the dragon, ending the duel.  
  
**Yusei: 100 LP (SPC: 0)  
Trudge: 0 LP (SPC: 4)  
**  
Trudge’s runner came to a sudden stop as steam started rising off of it. Yusei stopped, removing her helmet and looking him straight in the eye with calm blue eyes. It annoyed the hell out of him.  
  
“I can’t believe I lost to some satellite like you! There goes my promotion.” He muttered, mentally hitting himself for getting too cocky. Yusei tilted her head, her eyes gentle.  
“As long as a duelist believes in their cards, they will have all the power they need. If someone denies this and calls them trash, then they don’t even deserve to duel.” She said to him, slipping her helmet back on. She revved up her bike, speeding off, leaving the officer to his own thoughts. 

* * *

**West Highway, The Satellite, 1 AM  
**Yusei sighed as she stared off into the distance. The lights of the city could be seen perfectly from here, almost enticing her to go towards them.  
  
_Ah ah ah ah…  
  
_She startled, looking around frantically.  
‘There is that voice again.’ She thought, not finding anything around her. Ever since she turned 18, she had been hearing this voice. She couldn’t explain it, never finding its source as of yet. She felt as if it was calling to her. She glanced toward the city.  
  
_Ah ah ah ah…  
Screech!  
  
_Every once in a while, a screech joined it. It sounded very much like the screech of her Stardust Dragon card. She sighed. She felt like her card was calling out to her, begging her to find it. She spared one more glance towards the lights, before driving off once again.  
‘Soon Jack… You will see me very soon.’

* * *

**Crystal Sky Penthouse, New Domino City, 1.15 AM)  
**Jack stared out over the city, leaning against the railing of the balcony. He glanced up at the starless sky. He sighed softly as he swirled his wine glass, the red liquid swirling along with the movement. He took a single card out of his back pocket, staring at it. The card was beautiful, its soft silver colour with a majestic dragon on it, just as beautiful in colour as the rest of the card. Its tattered wings spread wide, a long muzzle framing the beast as its golden eyes almost seemed to be staring into your soul. He chuckled as he thought back to a time he’d much rather forget.  
‘To think I used to live in a dump such as Satellite. So what if I had to betray some people, it was worth it… right?’ Sometimes he wondered how life would have been if he had stayed. He shook his head though, not wanting to think back to that time. One memory managed to slip past the block though.  
  
_‘ “I know it sounds silly, but I feel like we need to change Satellite, make it safer somehow. I just don’t know how…”  
“Those are some big dreams.” Jack replied. “How would we even start?” Yusei shrugged. She hadn’t thought that far ahead yet.  
“I don’t know, but…” She stopped herself. How could she possibly explain this to him.  
“But what?” He questioned, sitting up. She looked him straight in the eye, royal blue meeting violet. She sighed and started muttering something. ‘_  
  
_‘I close my eyes and I can see  
The world that's waiting up for me  
That I call my own  
Through the dark, through the door  
Through where no one's been before  
But it feels like home_’  
  
He muttered along with the memory, but quickly stopped himself. He facepalmed, rubbing his eyes. He must be more tired than he thought. He took one more glance past the city lights, looking at the smoke climbing into the sky. He smirked.  
‘I’m waiting for you Yusei. I hope you’ve gotten stronger. This will be a fight to remember.’ He swiftly turned around, walking through the door, closing it behind himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And there is that! What is this mysterious voice calling out to Yusei? Guess we will just have to wait and see! I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Next chapter will hopefully be out next Sunday (2nd of Feb)  
> See y'all later!
> 
> Song:  
> A Million Dreams, The Greatest Showman


	7. The time is now

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry that this chapter came later than expected! Also it is a bit shorter, I decided to leave out the duel that officially took place before Yusei leaving for New Domino City, cause I was lazy to write it and I also don't think it had a huge part in the plot. Anyway please enjoy!

_Chapter 7. The time is now  
  
_ Yusei wiped her hands after checking her runner one last time before the big event. Tonight she would get to New Domino City, find Jack and get Stardust back. She sighed as she touched her necklace, reminiscing back to the time when they were kids and Jack tried to take it from her. She laughed softly, ‘where did the time go?’

She checked her deck as well, inspecting each card and to see if she had the right balance for what might be ahead. A memory popped up immediately as she went through her deck.

* * *

_Yusei gasped as **Junk Warrior** was constricted by some chains, the iron glowing in a faint dark purple colour.  
“What is that?!” She shouted towards Jack, who just smirked back at her.  
“It’s my trap, **Shadow Spell**! With it I can put an end to your unbeatable streak Yusei! Prepare yourself! **Red Demon Dragon** attack!”   
And in the wink of an eye, one of Yusei’s most trusted warriors was destroyed, the pixels still floating away as she fell to her knees, gasping.  
  
 **Yusei: 0  
Jack: 1000  
  
**She was in disbelief. How did this happen? How could she let it happen?  
Yusei pounded her fist against the cement, gritting her teeth as to not let a sound get past her lips. _

_“What just happened?” She could hear Rally somewhere behind her, heading the disbelief laced in his voice.  
“She lost, that’s what happened.” Jack said, returning his deck to its holder on his belt. “Her deck has absolutely no balance to it. You can’t win a duels with just monsters. You need spells and traps to balance it out. But you knew that already, didn’t you, Yusei?”_

_His words stabbed at her heart, increasing the despair she felt.  
_

* * *

Yusei shook her head, back in the present. She shoved her deck into its holder on her belt. She started packing her bag. She placed a few tools in there, in case something were to happen in the city with her runner, she could at least try to fix it. Next up was a little bit of food she had saved for the trip. Lastly she walked towards her ‘bed’, which was like an army bed, and grabbed the scarf that laid there. She studied it, gently running her fingers over the fabric.

Martha had told her she had found it with her, like her necklace. Since then, Yusei had treasured it almost as much as her necklace. She quickly placed it inside her bag, pulling the zipper closed.

She placed the bag inside the compartment underneath her seat, the bag barely fitting in there due to the small amount of room available. Luckily she didn’t need to take a lot of stuff.   
Yusei glanced up at the clock on the wall, it reading 5.02 PM. She still had a couple of hours before she had to prepare to leave her hideout. She hoped nothing would get in the way of her mission, but knowing her luck, someone will show up.  
‘Probably going to be that security guy again…’ She scoffed. He sure is spirited, she’ll give him that. She has barely ever seen someone so motivated to get her. Well besides a couple of people, Jack included.

She shook her head. Now was not the time to think like that. The best thing she could do now is rest for a bit before the gang arrives. She laid down on the bed, closing her eyes after setting an alarm for 11 PM. While she wasn’t a heavy sleeper at all, better safe than sorry. With that thought she drifted off to sleep.

* * *

Royal blue eyes suddenly opened, her ears ringing with the loud beeping that is going off somewhere in her immediate area. Yusei rubbed her eyes, reaching over to shut the alarm off. Apparently she had been more tired than she had thought. Just as she started to get up, she heard people coming down the stairs leading into her hideout.

Rally ran over, hugging her around the waist.  
“Please be careful Yusei!” He shouted, nearly sounding in tears. Yusei smiled gently, kneeling down to his level. Placing her hands on his shoulders, she looked him in the eye.  
“I will try Rally, however, we all know that this trip is coming with its risks. But as long as everything goes to how I’ve planned it, it should be fine.” She pulled him close, hugging him one last time. She stood then, walking over to her runner. She ran her hand along the machine.   
‘Now or never…’ 

* * *

Yusei revved her runner, staring ahead into the tunnel that would be her way off of Satellite. She took a deep breath, waiting for the exact second she should start racing through the tunnel.  
 _“Not yet Yusei, wait another minute.”_ She opened her eyes, listening to her friends through the communicator she had installed in her helmet. She kept staring at the clock displayed on her duel screen, watching the seconds go down.

_“NOW!”_ She took off, racing through the tunnel with incredible speed. She only had a short while to get to the exit before it would close up again. She kept staring ahead, searching for the exit. Suddenly she had to brake! A security runner suddenly appeared in front of her. She grunted, her eyes narrowing as she saw who was riding it.

“Where do you think you are going, Satellite scum?!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next up is the rematch between Trudge and Yusei! Will Yusei make it through the tunnel in time to get to the City and take her Stardust Dragon back from Jack? Guess we will have to wait and see (Come on guys, if you've seen the series you know what the outcome is going to be like XD) I've already started on the next chapter, so I'm hoping to be able to post it Sunday (9th of Feb)! Just know I now also have my internship because that started this week so it takes quite a bit of my time from writing ^^'.


	8. My One Chance

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I AM SO SORRY! I know I promised to have this chapter out ages ago, life however got in the way. Therefore, I tried to do the entire duel for you guys! Please forgive me and I hope you enjoy ^^'

_Chapter 8. My Once Chance **  
**_  
Yusei groaned, ‘why does this always have to happen to me?’ She almost felt like face slapping herself. She looked up, staring at Trudge as he slowed down, riding beside her. She sped up a little bit, wanting to remain in front of him.  
  
“You won’t escape from me that easy! Now lets duel!” Trudge shouted, chasing after her.  
‘If this the only way to get past this guy then so be it!’ Yusei thought as the **Speed World Spell Card** appeared on her screen.  
  
 ** _**DUEL MODE ENGAGED; AUTO PILOT STANDING BY**  
_**  
Both duelists drew their first five cards from their decks. ** _  
  
**DUEL MODE ENGAGED; AUTO PILOT ACTIVATED**  
  
_**“Duel!” Both shouted as they sped off.  
  
 **Yusei: 4000 LP (SPC: 0)  
Trudge: 4000 LP (SPC: 0)  
  
**“Even though a gentleman usually lets the lady go first, I do not consider you a lady, Satellite scum. Therefore, I’ll go first.” Trudge said as he drew his card. “I summon **Gate Blocker (LVL: 4 / ATK: 100 / DEF: 2000)** in defence mode!”  
A huge slab with an eye suddenly appeared in front of Yusei, almost like it was blocking her. She ground her teeth together.   
‘With this monster in front of me I won’t be able to gain any Speed Counters… I need to speed up to get to the exit in time!’   
“Then I place a card face-down and I end my turn.” Trudge placed the card in its face-down holder.  
  
 **Yusei: 4000 LP (SPC: 0)  
Trudge: 4000 LP (SPC: 1)  
  
**“Due to **Gate Blocker’s** ability you won’t be gaining Speed Counters any time soon kid! You might as well just give up now.” Trudge said smugly, almost relaxing back in his seat. Yusei snorted.  
“I am not as ignorant as you think Trudge, I already knew what **Gate Blocker’s** ability entails. That doesn’t mean I am going to give up though! I draw!” Yusei drew her card from her deck, adding it to the five already in her hand.   
“I summon **Speed Warrior (LVL: 2 / ATK: 900 / DEF: 400)** to the field! And because I normal summoned him, his attack points are doubled.”  
“Even with that little power boost, he is no match for my **Gate Blocker** monster.” Trudge said smugly.   
  
Yusei looked at her next card.  
‘For you Rally…’ She thought as she placed the card down.  
“I special summon **Turbo Booster (LVL: 1 / ATK: 0 / DEF: 0)** from my hand! Battle!” The two monsters jumped up in the air, **Speed Warrior** landing on **Turbo Booster’s** arms. By combining these two monsters, she released **Turbo Booster**. **Speed Warrior** sped off towards **Gate Blocker**.   
  
“ **Turbo Booster** ’s effect can destroy an opposing monster that battles with a normal summoned monster. And while it destroys your monster, I still take 200 points of damage due to the attack difference between the two monsters.” Yusei explained as her life points dropped.  
  
 **Yusei: 3800 LP (SPC: 0)  
Trudge: 4000 LP (SPC: 1)  
  
**Even as Yusei dropped her life points by 200, she could hear Rally cheering for her through her communication system in her helmet. She smiled gently at that. She turned left sharply, Trudge following close behind her.   
  
“Do you honestly think I am going to let you get away?!” Trudge exclaimed as he dropped down after her, following her into the tunnel. “I activate the Trap card **Broken Blocker**!”  
Two **Gate Blocker** monsters appeared in front of Yusei. Trudge laughed.  
“ **Broken Blocker** can be activated when a monster in defence mode with a defence power higher than its attack points is destroyed as a result of battle. It special summons two monsters with the same name as the destroyed monster from my deck!”  
  
Yusei stared at the monsters, trying to figure out a strategy.  
“I place two cards face-down and end my turn.” She said, not seeing another option, for now. She looked up at the timer on her screen, seeing she has less than two minutes to get out of there.   
  
**Yusei: 3800 LP (SPC: 0)  
Trudge: 4000 LP (SPC: 2)  
  
**“I summon **Gonogo (LVL: 3 / ATK: 1350 / DEF: 1600)** in attack mode!” A blackish green ball with a face on it appeared on the field.   
“ **Gonogo** attacks **Speed Warrior**! Death Flat!” Yusei grunted as her **Speed Warrior** disappeared from her side of the field, her life points once again dropping, while Trudge’s speed counters increased again.  
“I end my turn.” Trudge said.  
  
 **Yusei: 3350 LP (SPC: 0)  
Trudge: 4000 LP (SPC: 3)  
  
**“I draw!” Yusei reached for her deck, drawing the card. Slowly her face morphed into a smug look, ‘here it is.’  
“I summon the Tuner Monster **Junk Synchron (LVL: 3 / ATK: 900 / DEF: 500)**! Next, I open the Permanent Trap, **Angel Lift**! This card can special summon a monster with a level of two or lower from your graveyard in attack mode. Return to the field **Speed Warrior**!” **Speed Warrior** appeared once again on the field.  
“Now I will tune my **Junk Synchron** together with my **Speed Warrior**!” Yusei exclaimed as the synchronisation process started.  
“Clustering stars will call forth a new force. Become the path its light shines upon!” She shouted, touching the necklace around her neck.  
“Synchro Summon, **Junk Warrior (LVL: 5 / ATK: 2300 / DEF: 1300)**!” The monster appeared on her side of the field, flying beside her.  
“ **Junk Warrior** , attack **Gonogo**! Scrap Fist attack!” Gonogo exploded as it was destroyed, causing Trudge to lose life points.  
  
 **Yusei: 3350 LP (SPC: 0)  
Trudge: 3050 LP (SPC: 3)  
  
**Trudge grunted.  
“I see what you have planned, punk.” Yusei snorted at that.  
“I end my turn.”   
  
“I draw then!” Trudge drew his card from his deck. He smiled to himself.  
“I summon **Jutte Fighter (LVL: 2 / ATK: 700 / DEF: 900)**!” Yusei looked back to the monster.  
‘A tuner?’ She thought, trying to figure out what Trudge was trying to do.  
  
“I can synchro summon too punk. And I am about to show you how it is done properly!” He said as the tuner lit up, disappearing together with one of the **Gate Blockers** that were in front of Yusei.  
“Tuning **Jutte Fighter** with **Gate Blocker**! I Synchro Summon **Goyo Guardian (LVL: 6 / ATK: 2800 / DEF: 2000)**. **Goyo Guardian** attacks **Junk Warrior**!” Yusei could only stare as her monster disappeared.   
“But that is not all that this monster can do!” Trudge exclaimed as **Junk Warrior** reappeared bound by some rope.  
“When **Goyo Guardian** destroys an opposing monster, it can negate the destruction and steal control of the attacked monster. This monster will also go into defence mode at this time.” Yusei gasped softly as her **Junk Warrior** was dragged in front of the other monster, her life points dropping.  
  
 **Yusei: 2850 LP (SPC: 0)  
Trudge: 3050 LP (SPC: 4)  
  
**“But I’m not done yet! Because my speed counters are now at four, I can activate the Speed Spell **Sonic Buster** from my hand! This card can inflict damage equal to half the attack power of one monster on my field to your life points.” A purple beam hit Yusei, her life points lowering by 1400.  
  
 **Yusei: 1450 LP (SPC: 0)  
Trudge: 3050 LP (SPC: 4)  
**  
“Next I activate another **Sonic Buster** card from my hand.” Trudge smirked, ‘this kid is done for.’  
  
 **Yusei: 50 LP (SPC: 0)  
Trudge: 3050 LP (SPC: 4)  
  
**Yusei lost more of her speed, now riding beside Trudge. She didn’t look at him.  
“All you ever say is ‘scum’ and ‘punk’, over and over again. Didn’t they ever teach you any other words?” Yusei said, almost feeling the way the irritation wafted off of Trudge.  
  
 **Yusei: 50 LP (SPC: 0)  
Trudge: 3050 LP (SPC: 5)  
  
**“It’s my turn now. I draw.” Yusei drew her card, glancing at Trudge, seeing his smirking face.  
“I summon the Tuner Monster **Nitro Synchron (LVL: 2 / ATK: 300 / DEF: 100)**.”  
Trudge laughed.  
“Again with the tuners? You do not even have any monsters to perform the synchro with. You’re just delaying the inevitable aren’t you, you freaking scumbag?”  
Yusei glanced at Trudge, amusement clear in her eyes.  
“It’s right there.”   
  
Trudge looked at her, surprised. ‘What in the world is she talking about?’ He thought, looking at the field.   
“I activate a Speed Spell, **Dash Pilfer**!” Trudge gasped.  
“Impossible! You don’t have any Speed Counters, so how can you use a Speed Spell?!” He shouted at her. Yusei smiled.  
“I have Speed Counters.”  
  
Trudge turned towards his screen, gasping at what he saw.  
“ **Slip-Stream**?! That’s it, back then!” He said as he thought back. When he activated his **Sonic Buster** card, it must have triggered the Speed Spell. How could he not have seen this?  
Yusei looked at him through the corner of her eye.  
“That’s right, I was waiting for you to use your Speed Spell. This card, **Slip-Stream** , can be activated when my opponent uses a Speed Spell if my own Speed Counters are fewer than my opponent’s Speed Counters. On my next turn, it makes my Speed Counters the same amount as my opponent.” Yusei explained, pulling ahead of Trudge, increasing her speed.   
  
“ **Dash Pilfer** , release **Junk Warrior**!” **Junk Warrior** was released from **Goyo Guardian’s** hold, returning him to her side of the field.  
“ **Dash Pilfer** can be activated when I have four or more Speed Counters, which thanks to you, I have. It gains control of one face-up monster in defence mode on my opponent’s side of the field.” Yusei glanced towards the time.  
‘Damn it, I need to finish this now or I won’t make it!’  
  
Trudge gasped. ‘Now I get it! That’s where she had her sights set on!’ He thought in a panic. Yusei looked back at him, smirking.  
“Seems you have finally realized. The trash will come flowing in soon. You should give up and leave if you don’t want to be caught in it.”  
Trudge couldn’t believe this kid; she was provoking him while she was losing?! Trudge sped up, trying to catch up with her. Even then, Yusei also sped up even more.  
  


“I tune my **Nitro Synchron** together with **Junk Warrior**! Clustering minds will now become a new force! Synchro summon, blaze on, **Nitro Warrior (LVL: 7 / ATK: 2800 / DEF: 1800)**!” The new monster appeared on her field, looking back at Trudge.  
“ **Nitro Warrior** increases its attack power by 1000 points if it battles an opposing monster in the same turn I’ve used a Speed Spell!”  
Trudge looked up, shocked at this news. **Nitro Warriors** attack points increased to 3800.  
“ **Nitro Warrior**! Smash **Goyo Guardian** , Dynamite Knuckle!” The monster disappeared into pixels as the attack met its target.   
  
**Yusei: 50 LP (SPC: 5)  
Trudge: 2050 LP (SPC: 5)**

Trudge grunted.  
“How dare you, you stupid punk…” He muttered. Yusei smiled.  
“That’s not all. This is its monster effect. When **Nitro Warrior** destroys an opposing monster by battle, it can switch an opponent’s defence mode monster to attack mode and battle it.” Trudge spluttered as the **Gate Blocker** got switched into attack mode, its points dropping to a whopping 100.   
“ **Nitro Warrior’s** attack power returns to 2800, however this is more than enough to destroy your **Gate Blocker**.” **Nitro Warrior** roared as it attacked the **Gate Blocker** , hitting it right in its eye.   
  
**Yusei: 50 LP (SPC: 5)  
Trudge: 0 LP (SPC: 5)  
  
**Trudge shouted out as his life points dropped to 0, his runner stopping as steam was let out. Yusei had no time for him however, as she could see the hatch closing slowly. The door that was keeping the trash out slowly opened, the first pieces already flying through the door. She weaved around the debris, trying to make it to the hatch. She rode up the tunnel, using the walls to manoeuvre around the junk that was flying at her. She leaned heavily to the left, her runner tilted as she rode it on the side, slipping just through the hatch as it closed. What she didn’t see, was Trudge being overwhelmed by all the trash, being dragged along with it. 

* * *

**Industrial district, New Domino City, 2 AM**  
Yusei flew out of the factory, landing on the ground quite roughly. It didn’t bother her though. She made it, she actually made it! She had no time to celebrate her newfound freedom though. As she glanced up towards the bridge next to the factory, she found a familiar form standing there. She pressed the breaks, coming to a screeching halt.   
  
As she came to a stop, she sat up. Slowly she removed her helmet, blue eyes glancing up at the other person standing above her. One word left her mouth as she stared.  
  
“Jack.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> O.O What happens next? Well we kinda know what happens next but hey, lets not think about that yet XD   
> I am going to be changing my upload schedule to upload at least once a month, I can't say however what day I will be uploading. I do this because that way I have more time to create a good chapter for you guys besides the stuff that I have going on already. I do hope to upload the next chapter next Sunday (23rd of Feb) because my week long break starts that weekend. That means I also get to write some besides renovating my new room that next week. 
> 
> If you were wondering what songs were used in the previous chapters, I have updated the author notes at the end to include the title and artist(s). I will also be doing this for any other chapters that are to come. 
> 
> See y'all next time!


	9. The past has come to haunt you

_Chapter 9. The past has come to haunt you_  
  
 **New Domino Coast, New Domino City, 1.30 AM  
** A gentle breeze swayed his hair softly, almost like a mother’s caress through a child’s hair. While he can’t remember ever having that moment with his mother, he relaxed into it. He had no idea what he was doing here, especially around this time at night. It just feels… right to be out right now. He had no destination in mind when he left his apartment, letting his mind wander as he drove around the city on his runner. He ended up here, looking across the water, to the smoke pillars rising into the sky. That place used to be his home, a place that had been utterly destroyed, a place that once held a loving home for him. A place where he basically betrayed everyone who trusted him. He sighed softly.  
‘It was for my own good. Maybe I can do something in this place to change the Satellite for the better…’ Jack shook himself. ‘Woah woah WOAH, why the hell am I thinking about that dump. I left for a reason. I couldn’t care less about everything I left behind there.’ Walking back towards his runner, he sat down heavily, sighing. He put on his helmet and drove off, once again letting his mind wander and just riding. That was, until he was driving through the industrial district, that finally something interesting happened. 

* * *

**Industrial District, New Domino City, 2 AM  
** Royal blue clashed with amethyst, neither willing to break contact. After a full minute of staring at each other, they both looked away at the same time.  
Jack observed the girl down below, looking her up and down. He scoffed, ‘She’s not changed one bit. Just got taller and… more feminine.’ He almost slapped himself for thinking of that last word.  
Yusei observed Jack, noticing the way he was eying her up and down. She shook it off, categorizing it as normal behaviour for a person who hadn’t seen her in two years.   
  
“I see you finally found your way to the city Yusei. Took you longer than expected.” Jack said, mocking her. He wanted to see how much she had changed personality wise. She stared back at him, scoffing.  
“Guess that’s what happens when the runner you built gets stolen and you have to create a new one out of pieces people from the _city_ no longer wanted. Speaking of that, where is the runner? I see you’ve got a new one.” She asked, wanting to know what had happened to her first runner. Jack just smirked.  
“Turns out it wasn’t as good as you had thought, had it turned to scrap pieces quite quickly when I arrived here.” Her expression remained unchanged, unnerving Jack a bit. This was not the hot-headed teen he remembered from when he left.   
  
“Anyway, what brings you to the city Yusei? Shouldn’t you be with your buddies back at Satellite?” Yusei looked up sharply.  
“You know why I am here Jack.” Jack looked up to the sky, tapping his chin a couple of times as if he was in deep thought.   
“Ah…. I know. You are here for your precious card.” He teased, pulling the card straight from his deck, holding it up for her to see. She gasped as she stared up at him. She still couldn’t believe he had done it.  
“Why Jack? Why did you steal **Stardust** away from me? It was one of the few pieces I had left of my past, not only that, but it was also our hope to get off of Satellite together. To start a better future for everybody!” She shouted up at him, fire burning in her eyes. He snarled down at her.  
“It was wasting away in your hands! I made it better by taking it and coming here. Look at all of the success it has brought me. However, since you won’t stop whining about your card, you can have it back. I don’t need it anymore.” He said, throwing the card down to her. She easily caught it, staring at it. He closed his eyes, expecting to hear a rumble of a motor starting and driving off, however, was caught off guard when the guard was thrown back at him, impaling itself in the crook of his duel screen. He turned his head so quickly it almost caused him to get whiplashed.   
  
“No Jack, I might want my card back, however not like this. I’ll duel you for it. When I win, I will be taking my card back and leaving.” She surprised him, he had to admit. Anybody else would have just run off with the card as fast as they could. He smirked down at her.  
“Very well Yusei, follow me.”

* * *

 **Cross-Interstate-Highway, New Domino City, 2.30 AM  
** Driving down the highway, Yusei took in her surroundings. There was so much light it almost blinded her. Even at this time she could still hear the noise of the city, ‘does this city never sleep?’  
  
She returned her gaze to the front, looking at the man who was leading her almost on a wild goose chase.  
“Where are we going Jack? You said we were going to duel.” She shouted over to him. He looked behind him, scoffing.  
“Just be patient Yusei. Don’t forget curiosity killed the cat.”  
“Sure, but satisfaction brought it back.” She countered, frowning. Jack laughed sarcastically.  
“Wow what a great comeback Yusei! You’ll surely get a reward for that one. Anyway, we have arrived.” He said, staring at her face. The lights caused shadows to be cast on her face, showing off how she had changed from the last time they had seen each other. She smirked.  
“Keep your eyes on the road Duel king. We wouldn’t want you to crash due to you ogling the city.” He quickly looked away.   
“Shows how much attention you pay, brat.” He muttered softly, both of them driving up to a ginormous structure.  
“Welcome to the Kaiba Dome!” 

* * *

**Sector Security Headquarters, New Domino City, 2.30 AM  
** Meanwhile, a man was walking swiftly walking down a long hallway, a petite woman trying to keep up with his pace. The man had quite a young complexion, despite his silver/white hair and pale skin tone. Silver eyes were staring at his goal, the door at the end of the hallway. A dark grey suit with white gloves completes the look. The frown on his face makes the petite woman bite her lip.  
  
“So, how exactly did you lose Jack? I thought I specifically hired you to keep an eye on him?” He asks sharply, barely turning around to look at her. The woman looked down to the floor as the two entered a room filled with desks, computers and huge screens showing many different camera points in the city. A man about four-feet tall with light purple hair and vibrant green eyes was staring at the screens in front of him, his hands folded behind his back. The red coat almost didn’t go with his hair, as well as the face paint he had on. The man was smiling quite eerily to himself.   
  
“Lazar.” The man looked up sharply at the mention of his name. He swiftly turned around, facing the other male.   
“A pleasure to see you this evening, or well night, director Goodwin. I see you have caught our little troublemaker, have you? Fortunately for us, we have found little Jack. He’s at the Kaiba Dome. Though, it seems he has brought a date along.” The man giggled to himself, turning back towards the screen, showing the white and red runners arriving at the dome. Goodwin looked up at the screens as well, his heart skipping a beat when he saw the red rider removing her helmet.   
‘So much like her father…’ He thought to himself, keeping his composure on the outside.  
  
“That is no date Lazar. That is Yusei Fudou, the girl he requested to be brought to the city.” Goodwin explained, crossing his arms. Lazar snickered, apologizing for his joking manner. Time to see how this is going to be playing itself out.

* * *

 **Kaiba Dome, New Domino City, 2.45 AM  
** Jack and Yusei both placed their decks into their holders, shuffling them before locking them in. They stood side by side, both runners ready to go. Jack smirked over to Yusei, extending his arms outwards.  
“Quite an impressive arena wouldn’t you say?” Jack exclaimed, hoping to get a reaction out of her. To his disappointment, the only thing he got was a grunt and the girl flipping down the visor on her helmet. He scowled at that.  
“Lets just get this over with.” She replied sharply. He snorted.  
“Have it your way.”  
  
**_**DUEL MODE ENGAGED; AUTO PILOT STANDING BY**  
_**  
Both duelists drew five cards from their decks, staring at the countdown.  
  
****_**DUEL MODE ENGAGED; AUTO PILOT ACTIVATED**  
  
_ “Duel!” They both shouted as they sped off.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I finally managed to finish this chapter! I am sorry for the wait. I have been so busy with school that writing hasn't been on my mind. Anyway, Yusei has found Jack. You know what comes next ;) Hope everybody has a nice morning/afternoon/evening/night where ever you are! See y'all next time!


	10. The duel we have all been waiting for

**Kaiba Dome, New Domino City, 2.45 AM  
** Rubber squealed against the special asphalt placed on the racetrack as the two runners raced on.  
Both drew their first five cards, placing them in their holders.  
  
“I’ll go first!” Yusei drew her new card.  
“I summon **Quilbolt Hedgehog (LVL: 2 / ATK: 800 / DEF: 800)** in defence mode!” A brown hedgehog with bolts on its back appeared before her, which soon turned blue due to its defence position.  
“I’ll leave it at that for now.” She said, ending her turn.  
  
“Well well it is that little rat of yours! However, lets see if you remember this card! I summon **Mad Archfiend (LVL: 4 / ATK: 1800 / DEF: 0)** in attack mode.” A shaman-like creature with bony arms appeared before him. Its hair was a wild mane of red and his eyes glowed an eery green colour.  
“Now I know we can’t attack this round, however I am about to change that. I play the speed spell **Quick attack**!” Yusei looked at her rival, frowning slightly.  
“ **Quick attack**?” She asked, having never heard of the card before.  
“That’s right. Since no monsters can attack each other this round, I can use this speed spell, which can be used when you have two or more speed counters, to select one of my monsters and have it attack this turn. Now, **Mad Archfiend** attacks your puny little rat!” **Mad Archfiend** fired the skull fragments imbedded in his stomach, destroying **Quilbolt Hedgehog.  
** “Oh also, in case you have forgotten, when **Mad Archfiend** battles a monster with a defence lower than its attack, the opponent still takes the damage dealt!” Jack yelled, leaning back in his seat a little bit. The match has barely even begun, and this is already looking like a victory for him.  
  
 **Yusei: 3000 (SPC: 1)  
Jack: 4000 (SPC: 2)  
  
**Yusei kept her cool, not wanting to let Jack get to her.  
“Don’t get comfortable Jack, this match has barely even begun.” Jack just looked at her with an amused look on his face.  
“Yusei, you do realize you are going to end up losing this fight, right? This is more for modesty than anything else.”  
“You do realize that you better get your head out of the clouds before I kick you down a few pegs?” Yusei exclaimed, drawing her card. “Instead of trying to piss me off, which is not going to work, how about we just continue with how we know how to settle things best?” Jack scowled at her, yet at the same time his heart sped up a bit, her words fuelling his will to win.  
  
“It’s my move! I summon my **Junk Synchron** to the field!” She slapped the card down, the little monster appearing beside her. Jack almost felt like laughing, ‘just what is your plan Yusei…’.  
“Now I wasn’t upset when you destroyed **Quilbolt Hedgehog** , because due to **Junk Synchron** ’s special ability, I can bring him back to the field!” The hedgehog also appeared beside her, running on an invisible road.  
  
“And how does this exactly matter?” Jack questions, a little intrigued as to what she was planning on doing.  
“Well Jack, with these two on the field I am now allowed to Synchro Summon **Junk Warrior (LVL: 5 / ATK: 2300 / DEF: 1300)**!” She yelled as one of her strongest monsters appeared on the field.

Once again Jack felt like laughing.  
“If that is all you got Yusei, you might as well just give up now!” He shouted to her, smirking. This was going to be easy.  
  
“You do not know how wrong you are Jack. Because now, my monster finishes off yours! **Junk Warrior** send **Mad Archfiend** to the trash cans!” The tanned woman pointed to the monster, her warrior attacking it within seconds.  
  
 **Yusei: 3000 (SPC: 2)  
Jack: 3500 (SPC: 3)  
  
“**My move! I summon my **Twin Shield Defender (LVL: 4 / ATK: 700 / DEF: 1600)** in defence mode!” He placed the card down, while also slotting one card into the facedown slot. “And I will also place one card face down.”  
  
 **Yusei: 3000 (SPC: 3)  
Jack: 3500 (SPC: 4)**  
 **  
**Yusei frowned slightly, wondering what he was planning. **  
**“My move then!” Yusei shouted, drawing her card. “I summon **Speed Warrior (LVL: 2 / ATK: 900 / DEF: 400)**! Now his attack points get added onto **Junk Warrior** ’s points!” As her monsters’ power combined, she looked back towards Jack. Her eyes almost seemed… sad? “But you know this technique already, don’t you Jack? I used it back in Satellite to get Sector Security off your back. If it weren’t for me and my **Junk Warrior** , you might still be rotting in the facility.” She scowled, throwing a glare over her shoulder. That was a memory she preferred not to think about. Jack looked away for a second, remembering this moment very well, her monster saving him from his pursuers.  
  
 **Junk Warrior: 3200/1300  
  
** “What do you want, a thank you? You aren’t getting one if that’s what you were thinking.” He said scornfully. Yusei only gave a light shake of her head.  
“That is not what I want at all. However, I am putting that behind me! Due to his special ability, Speed **Warrior** ’s attack points are now doubled, so for now he attacks your **Twin Shield Defender**!” Shouted the female racer, her monster attacking Jack’s. However, her monster’s energy suddenly weakened as the shield monster disappeared.  
  
“And you can say goodbye to half of your monster’s attack points. You see, when you destroyed my shield defender, you activated its special ability. I bet you’re glad that Sector Security wasn’t as prepared as I am when you stepped in to save me.” Jack shouted, smirking at her. Yusei snorted at his response.  
  
 **Junk Warrior: 1600/1300  
  
** “Sure Jack, whatever you say. Remember though, you have left yourself wide open for an attack!” She exclaimed, glancing at his face down card, praying it didn’t open up. **Junk Warrior** attacks Jack directly, he didn’t seem all that bothered though.  
  
 **Yusei: 3000 (SPC: 4)  
Jack: 1900 (SPC: 4)  
  
**“Hmph, Yusei, remember when you said you saved me?” Jack asked. Yusei could almost sense the ridicule in his voice.  
“Yes?”  
“Well, it was all a setup! All those times you saved me and all those times we spend together were all just ways for me to get to **Stardust**! To get to know your weaknesses. We were NEVER friends!” Yusei bit her lip, his words cutting her deep for some reason.  
“That is a lie!” She shouted back at him, praying to whoever is watching that he is lying. Jack just laughed at her though.  
“The truth is the truth! The time we spend together when we were little, when I said we should build a runner, it was all just part of the plan! Just face it Yusei, I didn’t give a damn about you or our friendship!” He spat at her. As he did though, he felt a shock going through his chest. Like something was telling him that is was not true.  
  
Yusei closed her eyes tightly, pushing the tears back. She never knew this betrayal would cut even deeper than the last ones.  
“How could I have been so blind….?” She muttered to herself, a cold feeling coming over her in waves.  
  
Jack felt something when he saw her looking like that, an odd feeling stirring in his gut. What is going on with him today?  
“They say the truth will set you free. Lets go ahead and test this out! For my turn, I play my **Space Gate** trap card! Now, every time you attack me, I will gain one gate counter. Let’s see if you can keep up, Yusei!” Jack yelled out. Yusei drew one card and immediately placed it down.  
“I place one card face down and with that also end my turn.” She said, her voice a little hoarse. Was it due to her screaming and shouting, or was it due to the emotional hurt in her? If you were to find out your best friend never saw you as a friend at all, how would you react?  
  
Jack felt torn at this moment. On one side he felt very satisfied to see her defeated expression, yet another part of him told him that this was wrong. He shook it off, not wanting to deal with those feelings right now.  
“Looks like it is time for your monster’s points to return to normal.” He said as **Junk Warrior** went back to his original status.  
  
 **Yusei: 3000 (SPC: 5)  
Jack: 1900 (SPC: 5)  
  
**Suddenly, Jack gave a snicker. Then he burst out into full laughter. Yusei frowned at this.  
“Come on Yusei! Surely you haven’t given me your best yet? You gotta do better than this!” The blonde yelled, his speed increased. Suddenly, his runner spun around, driving backwards, smirking at her.  
“Well, this is amusing, isn’t it? Oh, come on, when we were kids, you always laughed when I walked backwards. Where has your sense of humour gone?” He said, taunting her, absolutely enjoying the glare she was giving him.  
  
“Get serious and make your move, Jack!”  
  
“My my so eager to lose, aren’t we? Very well, I guess I’ll make my move. From my hand, I play **Speed Fusion** speed spell! Now, I can summon a fusion monster that’ll have you shaking in your seat!” He exclaimed, pulling two cards out. “I now summon my **Big Piece Golem** and **Medium Piece Golem**!” Yelled the young man as his creatures based on stone appeared.  
  
Yusei almost snickered at it.  
“Rock collecting? Why Jack, I never knew you picked up this new hobby.” She joked with dry humour.  
  
Jack threw her a dark look.  
“Oh, don’t worry. He won’t be around for long. Because now, I am summoning my **Dark Resonator (LVL: 3 / ATK: 1300 / DEF: 300)**! Now my little guy is going to fuse together with **Big Piece Golem**. And with this fusion, I can summon a blast from the past!” He yelled, closing his eyes. Yusei knew what was going to happen. It didn’t exactly take a genius to guess.  
  
“ _The undying flames of rage fill one’s heart, shaking the earth as it’s master rises in the air. Let the fast lane ignite with the strongest of all!_ Synchro summon, **Red Demon Dragon (LVL: 8 / ATK: 3000 / DEF: 2000)**!” The King of Cards yelled, his Synchro summoned dragon swooping onto the field. It’s tattered and red scaled mixing with the black ones, looking as frightening as Cerberus, Hade’s loyal pet dog. It roared down at the two duelists, flying with outstretched wings and it’s defiant and demotic face in a permanent glare. Jack looked very satisfied, Yusei knew at that moment he was definitely up to something.  
  
“But I’m not done yet, Yusei! Because now, I send my **Space Gate** trap card to the graveyard! And with that I can summon my tuner monster, **Sinister Sprocket (LVL: 1 / ATK: 400 / DEF: 0)**. And with this, I fuse him and **Medium Piece Golem** in order to bring back another old friend! Prepare yourself Yusei!” Yelled Jack, as the two monsters fused together, and a new light flashed.  
  
“ _The brightest of stars have awakened and the king of the Milky Way shall rise! Reveal the path of light and fly to the heavens!_ Synchro Summon, **Stardust Dragon**!” Jack exclaimed, an all too familiar dragon appeared on his side, it’s scales as bright as the moon and its eyes sparkling like the stars. Yusei gave a longing sigh and she caught the dragon’s stare.  
  
“It has been far too long, my old friend. Do not worry, I’ll get you back.” Jack smirked at her as they made a tremendous turn, the duel only just beginning.  
“Lets see if you can keep to that wish, Yusei!” He yelled, startling a little when Yusei looked him straight in the eye.  
“It’s more than a wish, Jack,” She said calmly, watching as the two dragon’s rose higher into the air.  
“It’s a promise!”

* * *

 **Sector Security Headquarters, New Domino, 3.15 AM  
  
Yusei: 3000 (SPC: 5)  
Jack: 1900 (SPC: 5)  
  
**Goodwin looked at the standings with a neutral expression on his face. With how things were going, Jack having two powerful dragons out, it seemed as though he would win this duel in just a few turns. However, he was not doubting Yusei yet. If he had to guess, she has her father’s smarts, meaning she might know a way or two to get out of this mess.

* * *

 **Kaiba Dome, New Domino City, 3.15 AM  
**  
 **Yusei: 3000 (SPC: 5)  
Jack: 1900 (SPC: 5)  
  
**“It’s my move!” Yusei called, drawing a card. “Now to start this off, I summon my **Shield Warrior (LVL: 3 / ATK: 800 / DEF: 1600)** in defence mode.” The blue-eyes duelist said, her monster clad in armour appearing on the field. “Next I will also be switching my Junk Warrior into defence mode. Your move, ‘old pal’.” She said. Jack just scoffed at her.  
  
“Leaving both of your monsters in defence mode? You gotta be more aggressive if you want to win this, Yusei! Then again, it’s no surprise. You could hardly fight when we were little.” He said as they rode neck and neck. Their eyes caught each other’s. Two pairs of eyes that used to brighten whenever they saw the other, now however they were sharper and more determined. The happiness and shine of them had faded away when they had both grown up. They broke their staring duel, looking forwards again.  
  
“You haven’t learned, have you Yusei?” Jack questioned, scoffing. “I suppose you haven’t, considering that you would never have changed if I hadn’t taken **Stardust** away from you. But it seems that you are still the weak kid you were before I left! **Red Demon Dragon** can now wipe out all of your monster that are in defence mode! **Red Dragon** , use Absolute Powerforce!” The older yelled as his dragon’s claws ignited and slashed down Yusei’s monsters, destroying them.  
  
“Now that you got no monsters on your field, dear friend, **Stardust Dragon** can swoop right in and attack you directly! Hope this doesn’t hurt too much.”  
“Pssh, as if you care about my welfare right now!” She shouted, grunting as the attack hit her. She gave a shiver as the white-hot feeling washed over her, panting as her life points and speed counters dropped.  
  
 **Yusei: 2000 (SPC: 4)  
Jack: 1900 (SPC: 6)  
**  
“Isn’t it ironic Yusei? The monster that used to be yours, the one you came here to get back from me, is not the one taking you down.” Jack sneered at her, watching as Yusei hunched her shoulders slightly. “I’m sure if you thought this wouldn’t have happened, you would’ve never crawled out of that dump you call home.” He said. Yusei sat up straighter at that, rolling her shoulders to loosen her tight muscles and drawing her card.  
  
“My move. I summon my **Sonic Chick (LVL: 1 / ATK: 300 / DEF: 300)** in defence mode.” The small pink roadrunner with red boots on appearing on her field.  
“Just like when we were in school, you wasted your time with chickens.” Jack said, trying but failing not to laugh at the small monster.  
  
“Well, at least I know this ‘chicken’ isn’t going to double-cross her best friend, and then scurry away in the middle of the night without a second thought. In fact, this ‘chicken’s’ sticking with me!” She shouted. “I place two cards face-down and end my turn. Your move!”  
  
Jack caught Yusei’s stare, one pair amused while the other challenging in silence.  
  
“Let me ask you something Yusei, how do you think this duel of ours is going to end? Let’s kid ourselves and say you actually have a chance at out-duelling me and somehow manage to win. What are you going to do afterwards? You haven’t really thought this little ‘revenge’ plan, though did you?” He asked her, drawing a card and giving her a dashing smirk. “Well let me tell you what is going to happen. You are going to lose this duel and then I am going to press a little button on my runner, which will alert Sector Security of where we are and they will come to arrest you, which will mean you end up in the facility. So much for revenge, right? And speaking of losing, **Red Demon Dragon** , attack **Sonic Chick!** ”  
  
The dragon attacked the monster, but the attack was deflected, keeping them out of harm’s way.  
  
“Always thinking, aren’t you, Yusei?” Jack asked, frowning slightly.  
  
“It’s what I do best, Jack. I am really surprised you didn’t remember this classic back when we used to duel for fun!” Said the raven-haired girl as she revealed one of her face-downs.  
“Ah yes, your **Remote Revenge** trap card. I forgot you had that.”  
“It seems there is a lot you’ve forgotten Jack, so here’s a little lesson on how this card goes. It will first deflect your attack, but that is just the beginning. Once it does that, it destroys every monster on your field that is in attack mode. I believe, that means we are going to be saying goodbye to your two dragons, right? How is that for getting aggressive?” The attack was heading straight towards Jack’s beasts.  
  
“You certainly have a thing for revenge, don’t you? Even if you deny it so much. Too bad for you, just like your attempt to get revenge on me, this attack is going to fail miserably. Because **Stardust Dragon’s** taking one for the team. Remember one of the dragon’s special abilities? If you activate a card with the power to destroy all my monsters, **Stardust Dragon** can save all the others by sacrificing itself. How does it feel Yusei? Knowing you’ve just destroyed your favourite beast?” Jack said to her, smirking widely.  
  
 **Yusei: 1000 (SPC: 5)  
Jack: 1900 (SPC: 7)  
  
**The blonde stared at the raven, staring as the glittering lights caressed her hair and skin, making her look ethereal. Jack mentally slapped himself, scowling at himself for making thought as idiotic as a schoolboy’s. He drew two cards from his deck.  
  
“I place two cards face-down.” Jack said, placing down the two cards. “Now I do think it is time to bring back **Stardust Dragon**.” Through a swirling portal, the dragon of the stars returned.  
“How does it feel now Yusei? Knowing that whatever you do, we will keep going in this loop, almost like a purgatory.”  
“Actually….” Yusei gave a smile, and a rare one at that, “I will find a way to get back at you. I activate my trap card, **Harmonia Mirror**!” She called, a woman with a mirror in hand appearing on the field. Jack’s jaw dropped a few inches, knowing what this meant.  
“Check this out, old friend, because you summoned **Stardust** to your field, using a method other than the usual synchro summon, I can use the power of the mirror to get **Stardust** to fight on my side instead. So welcome back, my old friend!” For a split second, she felt happy. However, Jack killed this slightly.

“No biggie, as I said I don’t need it anymore. I was merely using it to make this duel more interesting.”  
  
“Well, you accomplished your plan, Jack. Now I am gonna rev things up with my dragon! But first, I’ve been meaning to say this for a while now!” She cast her hand up, closing her eyes, feeling the presence of the reptile.  
“ _The constellations guide his way and star-lit wishes give him his strength. Of friendship, brotherhood and love. Let the path of light lead him to the stars! Lets rev it up,_ **Stardust Dragon**!” She chanted, her dragon appearing above her. In the farthest corner of her mind, she could hear a deep voice rumbling, ‘ _I missed you_.’  
  
Offering a tiny smile, Yusei replied, ‘ _You as well, **Stardust**_.’  
  
She broke out of her trance as she heard Jack talking.  
“Not bad, Yusei. Maybe you did learn a thing or two since our days together in the Satellite. So, we got **Red Demon Dragon** versus **Stardust Dragon** , in a fight to the finish!” The two dragons roared at each other, each feeling the will of their masters to finish this duel.  
  
 **Yusei: 1000 (SPC: 6)  
Jack: 1900 (SPC: 8)  
  
**Jack looked up and gave a smirk at the dragons, then turned to Yusei.  
“Well, I guess this is where the final scene plays. We shall see who has gotten stronger, Yusei. I’ve waited a year for this.” He admitted, adrenalin pumping through his veins again.  
  
“I remember when we were younger Jack, when you first defeated me. Those words you had said, they shot me down like a ton of bricks. But now I’ve learned my lesson.” Yusei said, clenching her jaw.  
  
“And what would that lesson be, Yusei?” Asked Jack, a little interested.  
  
“That in order to be the best I can be, I have to believe in the power of every card in my deck. And ever since that day, I thought about that duel we had over and over again, trying to implement new strategies and combinations that I would’ve never thought possible. And now, today’s the day where all my hard work pays off!” She said, determination clear on her face.  
  
“As you know Yusei, actions speak louder than words. So, let’s just see what that deck of yours is capable of.” Said Jack, feeling satisfied to see a circuit strike run across royal blue-eyes.  
“You got it, Jack; and with **Stardust Dragon** , the sky’s the limit!” She cried out, her prized monster roaring with pride.  
  
Jack let out a sharp laugh.  
“You think by just getting back your dragon, that you have a chance at winning? Well think again! Because you’ve only levelled up the playing field!” He shouted.  
“That’s how I planned it, Jack.” Yusei said, coming to her turn.  
  
 **Yusei: 1000 (SPC: 7)  
Jack: 1900 (SPC: 9)  
  
**“Now I activate my speed spell, **Silver Contrails**!” The raven exclaimed, a silver vortex surrounding **Stardust**. “Whenever I have five or more speed counters, I can increase the power of a wind attribute monster up by 1000. Now, because **Stardust Dragon** is a wind attribute monster, he gains a power boost!” Yusei called out, her dragon’s points rising. **(ATK: 3500 / DEF: 2000)**  
  
“It’s time to see what you got, old friend! Lets rev this up with _Cosmic Flare_!” Yusei exclaimed as her dragon shot his strike of stars and silver. At the very moment it caught on **Red Demon Dragon** , an incredibly blood-numbing pain shot in Yusei’s left arm. She gave a yelp, and at that exact same moment, Jack felt the same.  
‘What’s going on? Where did this pain come from?’ They both wondered simultaneously.  
  
Both then caught the sight of **Sonic Chick** disappearing, **Red Demon Dragon** giving a triumphant roar.  
  
“What happened to Sonic Chick?” Yusei asked, her eyes wide with disbelief.  
“My **Synchro Deflector** trap card happened! With this card, I can deflect an attack against a synchro monster, then use that attack to destroy the monster with the least amount of attack points on your side of the field. Now that you have attacked, your speed spell effect wears off, which means your dragon loses its precious power boost.” The amethyst-eyed male said as the dragon’s status returned to normal.  
  
“The game is not over yet, Jack! From my hand, I summon **Ghost Gardna (LVL: 4 / ATK: 0 / DEF: 1900)** in defence mode.” Called Yusei, a phantom-like monster appearing on the field, the emerald-green eye in its clawed hand gleaming.  
  
“Trying to protect your precious little dragon, are ya?” Asked Jack, recognizing the monster.  
  
“I place two cards face-down and end my turn.” Yusei said, ignoring Jack’s comment. She hissed as another streak of pain shot through her arm, this one stronger than the first.  
‘What is this feeling?’  
  
“It’s time to end this, Yusei!” Jack exclaimed, gritting his teeth as his own arm gave a throb of pain.  
“I think **Red Demon Dragon** wants to attack **Stardust Dragon**! Take him down with _Scorching Crimson Fire_!” The red and ebony dragon bellowed madly, taking aim and firing but being stopped by Yusei’s spectre monster. Before she could even start talking, Jack already started explaining her monster’s ability.  
  
“ **Ghost Gardna’s** special ability allows it to draw a monster’s attention, becoming its target. When **Ghost Gardna** gets destroyed, it can lower the attack points of one of its opponent’s monsters by 1000 until the end of the turn.” He imitated in this pitchy voice, as if he was trying to impersonate her, doing a poor job at it though.  
  
“Well let me add this one on to it. I activate a trap card, **Counterattack Beacon** , it activated when one of your monster’s attacks one of mine and manages to destroy it in battle. Once this card activates, it not only gives one of my monsters 500 attack points, it forces the same monster to attack even though it’s not my turn.” Yusei explained, her dragon gaining more power.  
  
“Very interesting.” Jack commented, seeing where this was going. “So now **Stardust** has more attack points than my dragon.” He said.  
  
“That’s right. And because of this, I’ll just let Stardust show you where I am getting at.” She yelled, her dragon roaring as it shot its attack. She squinted her eyes for a split second as a scorching pain prickled her arm, like someone was pressing a hotwire against it. Jack, however, played a card, improving his monster’s attack points.  
  
Yusei hummed. “Should have known you still had the **Prideful Roar** trap card.” Yusei said as the two of them performed another lap.  
  
 **Yusei: 1000 (SPC: 7)  
Jack: 1900 (SPC: 9)  
  
**“It’s showtime!” Jack yelled, the two dragons in the sky roared in agreement as they shot their attacks at each other, meeting in the middle. **Stardust** managed to get the upper hand at one point, but **Red Demon Dragon** met at the same strength. This time, both Yusei and Jack gave sharp yells when the pain turned into a white-hot burn, crimson sparks flashing in their visions and unaware of the crimson lights shooting into the sky.

* * *

 **Sector Security Headquarters, New Domino City, 3.45 AM  
** “ _Director Goodwin! Director Goodwin! Splendid news!”_ Goodwin pressed the button on the Bluetooth device in his ear, listening in on his head scientist exclaims.  
  
“I’m listening. I see what is happening as well.” He said, eyeing the dancing lights above the arena.  
“Report your findings.”

* * *

 **The Kaiba Dome, New Domino City, 3.45 AM  
** “What is going on?” Jack demanded, surprised to see that Yusei’s monster was still flying. His eyes widened as he saw her **Shield Warrior** was back on the field.  
“How did it- Damn it! It has that special ability!” Jack cursed. Yusei was surprised to hear him curse.  
  
“Yeah, but don’t get discouraged Jack, I still take 300 points of damage.” Yusei said, her lips forming a thin line as the pain in her arm died down a little. Suddenly, the pain shot back, but not just for Yusei, it also happened to Jack. It burned from their wrists to the elbows. They both gave yells of pain but something bubbled deep from within them, hidden voices that made them shout out.  
  
“GO! ATTACK WITH NO MERCY!”  
  
Both dragons lifted their wings before shooting their fires of crimson and silver, meeting at the same time just as something very odd happens. The sky above the two duelists cracked like glass, angry red lines swirling and suddenly making an image in the sky.  
  
Both yelled out in pain, a fiery marking engraving itself into Yusei’s arm while Jack’s lit up brightly. Yusei looked at the mark, the marking looking like a rectangular smirking face. But it was not a face. It was something else. It almost looked like…. A tail? Both of them looked up to the sky, just fast enough to catch the newest dragon that came from the cracks of the sky.  
  
“What is that?” They both asked at the same time before the dragon that looked made of crimson-northern lights disappeared in a blinding light, making both Yusei and Jack go blind. At that very second, they both blacked out, a burning pain still stinging their arms.   
  
Yusei woke up with a groan, her head throbbing like she has a hangover. Taking a deep breath, she sat on her knees, cringing at all of the bruises and scratches she got when she crashed. She saw her runner lying on its side a few feet away, however she didn’t see Jack anywhere. She looked around the grassy area, watching for any signs of the blonde-haired man. But he wasn’t there. Jack was gone.  
  
Looking down, she saw a card lying on the ground. She stood on wobbly legs and walked towards it. As soon as she reached it, she picked it up. It was **Stardust Dragon**.  
  
‘Where did he go? And what was that… pain in my arm?’ She went to pull up her sleeve, however, was blinded by a bright light and ear-piercing siren rang through her ears.  
  
“YOU ARE IN VIOLATION OF CODE 36:B, WHICH STATES THAT NO RESIDENTS OF SATELLITE MAY ENTER NEW DOMINO CITY! BY ORDER OF THE SOCIAL MAINTENANCE DEPARTMENT, WE ARE PLACING YOU UNDER ARREST! DO NOT TRY TO RUN; WE HAVE YOU SURROUNDED!”  
  
‘Well shit…’ Yusei thought, biting her tongue.

* * *

 **???, New Domino City, 3.45 AM  
** Unbeknownst to anybody, steel blue eyes stared out the window, the crimson dragon rising high into the sky before disappearing. The man sighed, closing the curtains. He left that life behind, but it keeps haunting him…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Man, 10 pages and almost 5000 words later I finally managed to finish this chapter! It is currently almost 2 am at night, however I wanted to finish this chapter so we can move on from this duel.
> 
> I hope that during this time with the Covid-19 virus everybody is staying safe and healthy. Stay home if possible, keep your distance and wash your hands often!
> 
> I hope you all have a very nice day and hopefully you enjoyed this chapter! *Note I will be re-reading the chapter tomorrow for spelling etc. but right now I am just too tired.


End file.
